


Different - The Vampire Diaries x Reader

by bbeautifulchaos



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Vampires, Werewolves, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 64,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25354927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbeautifulchaos/pseuds/bbeautifulchaos
Summary: Different...That's one way to describe me. I've just always been different. I thought no one ever thought of me as anything else.Well, that was before I met him and he showed me that being different wasn't so bad.The Vampire Diaries x ReaderSlowburn!Damon Salvatore x Reader
Relationships: Damon Salvatore/Reader, Jeremy Gilbert/Reader
Comments: 9
Kudos: 45





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> hello, my lovelies. hope you enjoy! bye bye, Diamond xx

May 26, 2009  
Tuesday

Dear Journal,

Different... It's a simple word, isn't it? To some people yeah it is but to me it's all that I am.

I'm different. An outcast if you would. I've always been different. Never really fitting in with any right group. Now, this is mostly because I didn't open up to people. And let's not forget to mention that I'm not the prettiest and I don't play sports. I'm also not a cheerleader. So it's easy to say that I'm not popular.

I've never felt like I really belonged. I've only had one good friend that has really stood by me and I've done the same for him. I don't know what I'd do if we weren't friends. Besides that, there's no one. No secret boyfriend, no 'besties for the resties', no one.

My friend always says that we're not different, everyone else is just lame. Maybe he's right, but I doubt it. Anyways, I've got to get going.

Farewell, journal.


	2. The Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is it about the woods that makes them so creepy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovelies. enjoy!

I opened the door of the Gilbert residence, walked in and went up the stairs. Stopping at Jeremy's room, I took a deep breath then exhaled, preparing myself for the mood Jer might have today. I raised my right hand and knocked on his door.

I heard some shuffling before a mumbled "come in" came from the other side of the door. I placed my hand on the cold doorknob and turned it, pushing it open.

He was sitting on his bed. I figured he would be staring blankly at the wall or at the ceiling while laying down, but no. He was tying his shoes and I noticed that he looked like he was trying to get somewhere.

"Hey...," I pause, tilting my head in confusion when I see him get up and grab his jacket from his table. Before he has time to slide it on I stop him. "Jere.." He keeps going. I grab his arm making him look down at me "Jeremy, what's going on?"

He sighs, running a hand over his face, "I'm going to meet up with Vicky." I give him a hard look. "You're kidding, right?"

He shoves his arm away from me, "See, this is why I didn't tell you. I knew you were going to act like this." I shake my head and look down. "She's not bad people. Sure, she's not the resident good girl, but she makes me feel better. When I'm with her...I feel different."

I grab his hand, "I know, Jere, but she-" He stops me and looks me in the eye. "No, you don't. You really don't. You think you know everything, but you don't! When I'm with her, I don't feel like the kid who lost both his parents in a car crash, I don't feel pity. I just feel free and happy. So if you can't be happy for me or even accept how she makes me feel, then maybe you aren't such a good friend after all." He snatches his hand away from my grasp and storms out of his room.

I stand there for a couple of seconds in complete shock. Jeremy has never acted like that, never. He's never once yelled at me or gotten mad at me like that.

I let out a little sigh. Good job, Y/N, you screwed everything up, again. Congratulations!

I hear some shuffling and voices from the hallway. I adjust my messenger bag and walk out of his room, closing the door behind me. Once I hear the click, I lean back on it and close my eyes.

"Are you okay?" I jump a little, looking around in a slight panic when a dainty hand touched my shoulder. I look up and see Elena with her friends, Bonnie and Caroline, behind her.

I rub the back of my neck in embarrassment. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

Elena looks back at her friends then back to me. She looks like she wants to say something, but doesn't. So instead, I talk, "If you're looking for Jeremy, he's not here. He um..just left."

"Yeah, I know. He was leaving as I was about to come in." She sends a small smile, "Is everything okay? He seemed on edge."

"Yeah, yeah he's fine. We just had a slight disagreement, but nothing new, right?" I let out a bitter laugh, trying to cover up the pain in my voice when I said that.

They all look at me with worried looks on their faces and I hate it. Pity. That's all I could see. Starting to feel unwanted, I come up with an excuse to leave the conversation. "Anyways, I should get going."

I start walking, well more like running, down the stairs as I hear them all say their farewells. I'm almost out of the house, about to turn the knob on the brown door when Elena comes to stop me. I tense up a bit when she holds something in her hand out to me. "Here, you dropped your pen."

I hesitantly grab it from her. "Thanks, I've got to get going though." I flash her a quick and small smile as I turn the doorknob and walk outside, letting out a sigh as the bright afternoon sun glares at me.

Grabbing my bike from the front yard of the house, I hop on and place my feet on the pedals. Looking back at the house, I sigh once again before turning and pushing the pedals. As I ride, the wind punches me in the face, but I feel free, even if just for a bit and let out a little smile.

It was then that I realized that maybe Jeremy was right and that Vicky Donovan wasn't so bad. And maybe, just maybe, she was different like me and like him.

————————————————————————

I ended up riding for a long time, no real destination in my mind. The only thought was that I wanted to get away from everything if only for a little while.

Taking a break, I looked around at my surroundings. I'm near the deep woods of the town, a place I'd only ever been a few times.

Hearing some rustling ahead, I still on my bike and carefully place my feet down on the ground covered with dirt and a few leaves.

I swung my leg off to the other side of the bike, confused and alert when I heard more rustling, only this time louder. I dropped my bike to the ground feeling my breathing get heavier with panic. I turned my head when I heard a noise and ducked behind a tree.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief when I saw it was just a boy. He looked to be around my age, if not a little bit older. He was wearing a black leather jacket, jeans, and was very muscular. No, I was not checking him out. I peeked around the tree more trying to see his face. When he turned in my direction, I ducked my head back and held my breath. He was handsome, but his face screamed 'brooding.' There was something about him that made me curious. Curious to know who he was and where'd he come from.

He had to be new. I knew pretty much everyone in town even if I didn't converse with them. Being quiet means listening. Listening in on everyone's conversation even if you don't mean to and knowing things you probably shouldn't. But the thing is, in a town like this, you think you know everyone, but they all have their secrets that they might kill if someone were to ever find out about them.

I figured he was gone because when I stepped out of my hiding spot behind the tree, I didn't see him anywhere. I let out a small yelp when a cold hand touched my arm. Turning around quickly, I prepared myself for an attack.

It was the guy from earlier. Now that he was closer I could see the sharp and defined features of his face and his body. He had dark, brooding eyes that looked as though they had experienced many lifetimes of pain, but held a certain type of mystery to them.

He startled me, snapping me out of my trance when he said, "I'm sorry if I frightened you, but you really shouldn't be out here by yourself. Especially not at this time of day."

Feeling defensive I crossed my arms over my chest, "So you're saying that I'm weak? Or that I'm not capable of taking care of myself?"

He seemed confused by my little outburst. Well, I couldn't exactly tell because his face was so brooding that you wouldn't know the difference between I'm being happy or sad.

"I wasn't undermining you but I just think that you should be more careful. There's some dangerous things out here and you shouldn't be caught up in anything like that." I relax a little after I saw that he meant no harm to me. "I've got to get going though, so I'll see you around I suppose. And you should head back home."

With that, he walks off leaving me standing there for a minute looking at his retreating figure. Letting out a huff, I reached back down to the ground and grab my bike. Turning it in the right direction, I hop on and ride off with the light of the almost complete sunset behind me.

————————————————————————

August 14, 2009  
Friday

Dear Journal,

Today was otherwise interesting. I don't know who he was, but I have to find out. It's not that I like him, heck I barely even know the guy, but he has this mysterious aura about him that makes me want to know everything.

School starts in a couple of weeks, so yay to that! I can't wait to be around people who look at me weird and talk about me. One advantage I have other them though is that I'm smarter than them. So that's a plus.

I'm going to try and talk to Jeremy and explain my point of view with the whole situation. I want him to be happy especially after these few months, but I also want him to be careful. I just feel like something bad will happen.

I've had this 'bad' feeling for a while. Like something is going to happen and no one knows about it except for me. Farewell, Journal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think. constructive criticism is welcome here! :)


	3. It's You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of school...new faces...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello my lovelies, enjoy!

It's been a couple of weeks since the run-in with that guy in the woods. I haven't seen him around anywhere. But I wish I did so I could know more about him.

School is starting today and the only thing I'm excited about is getting to see Jeremy. He's the only person in this town who I tolerate and who truly cares about me.

Usually, I ride my bike to school, but after I and Jeremy made up—oh, wait. I didn't include that part? Well anyway, I talked to him and expressed how I felt, but he said that she made him happy. In return, I told him that I want him to be happy, I truly do, but I also want him to be safe. He said he understands and we hugged. Then we had a movie marathon and ate a lot of food—like a lot.

Anyways, Jeremy told me that he wanted to walk to school with me, so that's what I'm waiting on. I had just woke up and didn't take a shower since I shower at night. I ate breakfast which consisted of a classic for me: an omelet, fruit and grain bar, and a glass of orange/apple juice. After eating, I went to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I did my hair in its usual style.

Since it was still pretty warm outside, I decided to ditch the hoodie I had slept in for a short-sleeved top and dark jeans with some converse/shoe preference. I had packed my bag last night so all I had to do was grab it from my table and lock up the house.

Waiting on Jeremy, I decided to sit on the front porch and took out my sketchbook. I started to mindlessly draw, losing myself in the art. I shoot my head up when I hear someone call my name and see my favorite person at the front of the house. Collecting my things together, I stand up and walk towards him.

I wrap my arms around him and we hug. For some reason, most people think we're dating, but we're not. I remember a while ago we both kissed each other to see what it would be like and we decided that we were much better at being best friends.

Jeremy pulls back from the hug. "Hey Y/N." I shoot him a smile and say, "Hey Jere-Bear." He glares at me before tugging my arm.

"C'mon, woman. We've got to get to school." I laugh before nodding and we get on our way.

After a little while, not long considering I don't live too far from school, we made it there. I sort of stood there, watching as everyone walked past, running around and talking with their friends.

A hand shakes my shoulder gently as I snap out of the trance, slightly confused about what was going on. Jere looks down at me with a worried look on his face. "Hey, we're here."

I straighten my back and rub a hand over my forehead. I adjust my bag on my shoulder. "You okay?" Jeremy asks as I take a step up closer to the school. Jeremy grabs my hand and tries to look me in the eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine." I look up at him. "Just a little out of it."

"Are you sure because-" I cut him off before he can continue. "Jeremy, I'm fine, really. Don't worry about it."

He sighs and pulls me into a quick hug. He turns his head and I turn to see what, or should I say who, he's staring at. He lets go of me for a second, "You know I love you, but I really gotta go talk to Vicky."

I let out a small laugh, something only he's heard recently. "Sure, Jere, but remember: Be careful." He nods before taking off after her. I shake my head, noticing how he looks like that cute puppy that keeps following you around.

Instead of staying outside, I walk inside the school and stand near the entrance door for a second before walking over to where my locker is. It was near Elena's, so sometimes we would have small chitchat at the beginning and end of the day, sometimes in between classes. The funny thing is that even though members and her brother are best friends, she and I don't exactly talk that much.

While putting my books in my bag and some in my locker, I overhear Bonnie and Elena talking. As they walk over to Elena's locker, everyone says hi to them and I start to feel a little envious. I don't want attention, but it would be nice if I had someone other than Jeremy to talk to. Not that Jeremy is a bad person to be around, I love him (as a friend of course), but it wouldn't be so bad if someone showed actual interest in me.

I wasn't trying to listen in on their conversation, but they weren't exactly being quiet. I heard them talking about another girl in a bad way and I felt extremely annoyed. I hate hearing others talk bad about people they know nothing about. I would know, trust me.

Slamming my locker shut, it was much louder than I expected it to and caused some people to look my way. I closed my eyes for a moment before adjusting my bag and looking down at my schedule that I had just pulled out.

Not looking up, I hear as Caroline walks up next to Bonnie and Elena. She drones about some new guy and how he was apparently hot. I don't indulge in that kind of gossip, so this time, I didn't listen. Instead, I walked straight to my first period: history.

Although I don't like attention or people staring at me, I went and sat near the front, more so in the middle. Mr. Tanner was standing near the chalkboard. William Tanner—a man who was too cocky for his own good. He coached the football team who hadn't won that many games last year, but everyone still clambered together in the stands to cheer them on. At least they get some kind of support.

He always preferred to be called Coach Tanner, which I think were for egotistical reasons, but he allowed students to call him Mr. Tanner. He was writing something down on the board and I looked around the classroom to waste some time as I mindlessly tapped my mechanical pencil on the desk.

I saw that I was the first person in the classroom, which wasn't anything that new. I didn't have anywhere else to go or any friends, besides Jeremy, to stand around and gossip with.

He turned around and squinted at me as if he couldn't remember my name. "Hey...Y/N, right?"

I didn't even attempt to control my sarcasm, "Yep, still the same as last school year and I'm sure that's what it says on my birth certificate." His nose flares and I could see his face and ears go a little red with what looked like anger. You see, his problem is that he doesn't like people being better, right, or sarcastic with him.

"Haha." He lets out a bitter laugh. "We're not starting that this year, L/N. Understand?" His face suddenly got serious and I was about to answer with something else sarcastic just to tick him off, when the bell rang signaling everyone to get to class.

Students file into the classroom, finding seats next to their friends. Elena and Bonnie come in together, with Matt following shortly after them. In a way, I sort of felt bad for him. He loved Elena and she broke up with him. I mean I can understand why she did, she had just lost her parents, but I know that it hurt him. You could see the pain in his face, especially in his ice-blue eyes.

Elena and Bonnie sit in the row in front of me and Matt sits in the one behind them, a couple of seats away from me. Everyone gets settled in their seats and Mr. Tanner is about to open his mouth when someone comes in, one minute before the tardy bell, with a few others follow in behind him.

My head shoots up when a guy wearing a dark blue shirt walks in the classroom. He looked familiar and that's when I remembered. I stared at him and so did most of the girls as he walked to an open seat which was, ironically, to the side of me.

Mr. Tanner turned around to us and began teaching. Drowning on about the history of the U.S. After a while I tuned him out, only writing down what was on the board. I took out a piece of scrap paper and stared to draw the mysterious new guy whose name I never heard.

After class, I gather my stuff into my bag and stand up. I try to catch him before he disappears. I turn into the hallway and search for him. Looking to the left I see him walking over towards the exit. We had 5 minutes until the next bell so I run after him.

"Hey," I said grabbing his shoulder. "It's you." I shake my head. "That probably sounded really weird, I know. I meant to say that you're the guy I saw in the woods."

He looks at me but doesn't say anything. I couldn't tell what he was thinking because his face was like a stone. He suddenly broke into a small smile. "Oh, yeah. I remember you, one of very few girls who would go into the deep, dark woods by themselves."

I chuckle a little, "Yeah, I'm one of those girls." I look up into his eyes, feeling a sense of security. "Well, I've got to get to my next class...I didn't catch your name."

He smiles at me, "I don't think I told you, what's yours?" I fiddle with the bracelet on my wrist, feeling a little shy. "It's Y/N L/N and you?"

"Stefan, Stefan Salvatore." He looks away from me. "Nice meeting you, Y/N L/N. See you around." And with that, he left me standing there for a second before I went off to my next class.

————————————————————————

Dear Journal,

Today was okay. By okay, I mean that everything was sort of normal. At lunch, I hung out with Jeremy and tried to get him to talk to him about the way he's been acting lately. You know, with the drugs and getting high. He got mad at me, saying that I was acting just like Elena, which really hurt. He stormed off, muttering something about needing to go find Vicky.

Anyways, I saw the new guy and he told me his name—Stefan Salvatore. Even the name itself was mysterious and made me want to know more. I think he likes Elena and she likes him, the whole time in class, they were glancing at each other.

I'm not jealous, believe me. Although he is very handsome, I don't like him like that. I like the mystery about him. The way his eyes hold secrets with a stubborn chain that I want to break apart and let them flood around me.

Farewell, Journal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'd love it if you guys let me know what you think, Diamond xx


	4. Those Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There seems to be a lot of new people in Mystic Falls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovelies. enjoy!

It's been a couple of days since I first met Stefan. Or should I say the second time, since we had that interaction in the woods a week or so earlier? I'll say the second time, but this time with actual introductions.

We usually talk in history and sometimes at lunch, but other times he's with Elena. They have me wondering if something's going on between them. I feel bad for Matt, every time I see him, he's looking longingly at Elena, but she's looking at Stefan. That has got to suck, big time.

It's a new day and me and Jeremy haven't really made up. He's been around Vicki even though she's with Tyler Lockwood most of the time, who, by the way, is a jerk. It seems like all he uses her for is sex. And no matter how she acts, no one deserves that kind of treatment.

I'm already at school, standing by my locker and fiddling with the bracelet of my left hand. I doodle in my sketchbook when a hand is waving in front of my face.

I look up, confused because no one ever talks to me in the morning besides Jeremy. I let out a sigh of relief when I see that it's just Stefan.

"Hello, Miss Y/LN." He says once he has my attention.

I let out a short laugh, "Hello, Mr. Salvatore. How are you doing on this very fine day?" I say playing along.

"Why, I am doing fine. Thank you for asking." He smiles at me and laughs a little.

"Okay, okay. Enough with this," we look at each other for a second trying to be serious before bursting out into a quiet laughter. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just coming to say hello." I nod and pull out my phone to check the time.

"Ah, I see. Well, we should get going, the bell's about to ring." He nods and we walk together to class in a comfortable silence.

Once we enter the classroom, we sit in our usual sits and wait for Mr. Tanner to start teaching us. I look up at the green chalkboard and pull out my notebook and highlighters to take notes. Yes, I'm one of those people who color codes. Don't judge—it helps with memory.

He turns around and starts droning on and on about the history of the U.S. yet again. As if we don't already know these things.

Mr. Tanner starts calling on people to answer his question, "Anyone got anything? Miss Wan?" The girl just shrugs and he continues, "1945?"

I notice Elena and Stefan talking to each other and sort of eavesdrop on their conversation. "Our football team sucks, they could use you," Elena says as she leans over to him. I smirk to myself, thinking that Stefan would probably never join because he mostly keeps to himself.

"Pearl Harbor.." Mr. Tanner continues. Stefan just looks back at Elena and smirks, "Can't, I'm a loner." Elena laughs at his joke and Mr. Tanner uses this as his chance to get her to talk, "Miss Gilbert..."

She turns around and looks up to him, "Hmm?"

He asks again, "Pearl Harbor?" She obviously doesn't know. I do, but I'm not gonna raise my hand and have everyone staring at me. In my head, I say December 7th, 1941.

Stefan cuts in and answers for her, "December 7th, 1941." I turn to him and he looks at me giving me a smirk before turning back to the teacher. Not a lot of people know that.

"Thank you, _Miss Gilbert._ " Mr. Tanner looks obviously annoyed as he puts emphasis on her name.

The class starts laughing, even myself. "Anytime," Stefan bites back with sarcasm.

Tanner tries to shoot him down, "Very well, the fall of the Berlin Wall?"

Stefan answer almost immediately, "1989. I'm good with dates, sir." Tanner, who can't stand being stood up asks, "Are you? How good?" He bobs his head for a second, jaw locked before turning back. "Keep it to the year."

Everyone turns to Stefan awaiting the rivalry between the two. Almost reminding me of a staring contest, but instead of who would blink first, it's who would answer incorrectly.

"Civil Rights Acts?" Tanner asks.

"1964."

"John F Kennedy assassination?"

"1963."

"Martin Luther King."

"'68," Stefan answers back quickly.

Jeez, this boy was quick. Who would've thought he'd be a history buff.

"Roe vs. Wade?"

"1973."

We all sit there looking back and forth between the two as Tanner walks closer to Stefan. "Brown vs. Board?"

Relentlessly, Stefan answers yet again, "1954."

Tanner starts frustrated with venom on his words, "The Battle of Gettysburg?"

"1863."

"Korean War?" Stefan stares Mr. Tanner directly in the eyes, "1950 to 1953."

"Ha," Mr. Tanner leans down, almost excited that Stefan got it wrong, but I was sure he was right. "It ended in '52." Tanner turns and looks at the class. The class starts laughing when they saw that Stefan was wrong.

He starts to walk away when Stefan stops him, "Actually, sir, it was '53."

Tanner turns around and breathes in sharply, "Look it up, somebody. Quickly!" Everyone pulls out their phones to see who was right.

Someone looks up and starts talking, we lean in eagerly to see who was right: teacher or student. "It was..." he pauses for dramatic effect, "1953."

We all start clapping, for someone had chipped some of his ego away. Tanner just nods, staring intensely at Stefan before the bell rang signaling our well-desired release.

Gathering my things, I walk towards Stefan, "Well, well. Someone actually standing up to his egotistical ways."

Stefan chuckles and salutes, "Proud to be of service ma'am." We walk out of the classroom and bid our goodbyes, while we head to our next class.

————————————————————————

It was the end of the school day and I decided to head to the library. I figure I could hang there for a while before heading to the grill for food.

Seeing as I had ridden my bike to get to school this morning, I walked over to the bike stand and grabbed it. I should get a car, but I like the exercise and at least I don't have to pay for gas.

I make my way downtown, where the library is. I stick my foot down onto the ground to slow myself. Pulling my bike to the bike stand, I grab my backpack and walk into the library.

The library was a very interesting place. It was filled with different worlds and it was a place you could lose yourself in. You could sleep there or study and no one would bother you unless your music was too loud.

I dragged myself to a table near the back of the first floor. I opened my backpack and pulled out my sketchbook and the homework from some classes. Finishing up the homework, I grab the water bottle from the side of my bag and drink.

I decided I wanted to sketch while I ate so I was headed to one of my favorite places: The Grill.

As I packed my things into my bag, I checked my phone to see how long I had been there. I was there for about 2 hours and I noticed the sky was turning an orange and pinkish color from the sunset.

I left my bike where it was because it was closer to the Grill and I saw no point in moving it. I stood outside of the library and made my way to the edge of the sidewalk, looking both ways before crossing the road.

Once I made it across, I went a short walk to the Grill—a place where I could eat to my heart's content.

Opening the door, I was thankful for the dim lights inside. Moving from the doorway, I found myself an empty table near the middle and waited for someone to come take my order.

I had been here so many times that I didn't even need to look at the menu. Looking around the diner, I saw that there were quite a bit of people here.

I looked up when I heard someone come to my table, "Hey, can I take your order?" It was Vicki.

I nodded and she seemed to remember who I was, "Oh, hey Y/N. How are you doing?"

I shrugged, "Could be doing better, you?" I said looking up at her face. She was pretty, but she was sort of off the rails.

"I'm doing fine," she looked around the room and I followed her gaze, she was looking to Jeremy, "Could you talk to Jeremy and tell him to back off?"

I knit my eyebrows together in confusion, "Did something happened? Is everything okay?"

She nods and lets out a sigh, "Yeah, it's just that he keeps following me around and I've told him to back off, but he doesn't listen." She looks at me. "I like him, but I'm not ready to be in a fully committed relationship, you know?"

I nod my head and tell her, "I'll see what I can do. Anyways, I'll have (your usual order)."

She writes down my order and walks off to give it to the cooks. While waiting I fiddle with my bracelet, thumbing one of the charms on it. I stand up, suddenly needing to use the restroom.

Walking to the bathroom, I pass by Jeremy and shoot him a small smile with a little wave, but he sort of ignores me. I don't know if it was because he didn't see me or if he's still mad at me. I think I'll choose the latter.

After using the bathroom, I wash my hands and open the door with my foot, being slightly germaphobic. As I'm coming to sit down, Vicki comes back over to my table with my food and a refill of my drink. I mumble a 'thank you' to her and sit down to eat.

I finish eating and swivel my straw in the cup, causing the remaining ice cubes to clink against each other. It was around 7:30, but I didn't want to go home yet so I just sat the stirring the ice in my cup.

Mostly everyone was getting up and leaving and the only people left were the ones at the bars and a few groups of friends eating together. I envied them. They had multiple support systems—people they could rely on and who cared about them. All I had was Jeremy and right now we seemed to be on the outs.

I heard someone walk in, but didn't turn around. I started to draw in my sketchbook, not really having anything in mind until I saw that I was drawing a rose. Well, at least the outline of it.

Turning my attention to the bar, I saw someone I hadn't seen before. Well, I saw the side and back of him. He had dark brown hair, so dark that it slightly resembled a raven. His hair reached down a little below his ears and his skin was a fair olive color.

Not able to tear my gaze away, I tracked my eyes down his body. He was wearing a black leather jacket with dark jeans. He must be new in town or maybe I just haven't noticed him.

He raised his hand to have the bartender come to his service. As his arm raised, so did his jacket and shirt and I felt my breath hitch a little when I saw his muscular back and side.

He ordered Bourbon, asking the bartender to give him the bottle as well. He poured himself up a drink and wrapped his right hand around the small glass. I saw an antique-looking ring that was blue with a gold design sitting atop it.

He turned his head and I saw the side of his face better. Just that view was enough for me to keep starting.

I think he felt eyes on him because he turned in his chair looking around the room until his gaze landed on me. We started at each other for a few seconds, he was sporting a small smirk on his face when he noticed that I was looking at him.

He was devastatingly handsome. His eyes were an intense icy blue, which was a great contrast to his fair and olive skin. His eyes stood out against his dark brows and eyelashes.

I looked away feeling my entire face heat up as I realized I was staring at him for a while.

Feeling embarrassed, I put my sketchbook in my bag and left my money on the table. As I got up and turned around to leave, I bumped into a muscular chest. Looking up, I saw it was the guy from the bar. He had to be in his twenties, early or mid.

I squeaked out an apology, "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking and-"

He cuts me off with his laughter, "It's fine." He looks at me with a smirk on his face making him look even more handsome if that was possible. "I'm Damon...Salvatore. And you are?"

I tell him my name and asks if he's related to Stefan. He nods and says, "Ah, yes, my baby brother." So that makes sense. Maybe the brooding handsomeness is a family thing.

He tucks a lock of hair that fell in my face behind my ear and slyly smiles at me. "I should probably get going," I say as my face heats up yet again.

He nods and steps out of my way, "See you around, Y/N."

As I biked home all I could think about were those eyes. Those beautiful calculating eyes that seemed to draw me closer to him. I smiled to myself as I laid in bed after my shower, thinking of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, hope you enjoyed this chapter. i would love it if you guys let me know if you liked it, Diamond xx


	5. We Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Social butterfly or shy caterpillar?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovelies. enjoy!

Today was as usual as always. I biked to school, talked with a Stefan for a bit in the hallways before he went off to Elena then went to my classes. First period was the same too, Mr. Tanner making side remarks about Stefan or just casually picking on a student.

Speaking of Stefan, he joined the football team, all with the encouragement of Little Miss Elena. She rejoined her glorious cheerleading team as well. I was glad that Stefan wasn't going to be like me, a loner. He was going to make friends and be popular and I just hope that we would continue to be friends. Even though we aren't that close, I was happy for Elena. She had just lost her parents a few months ago, but she was making a comeback and maybe she would have some relief.

Now it was lunch and I decided to eat outside today. It felt nice—the sun was out making it warm, but it wasn't too bright, the clouds were a beautiful blue color with dashes of white clouds scattered across. It reminded me of an art canvas.

My lunch was pretty simple: a sandwich, a water bottle, and some fruit. Just enough to get me through the rest of the school day. I was eating some of the fruit I had packed when a certain someone came into my mind.

I had the sudden urge to draw him. Well not him exactly, but his eyes. God, those eyes looked like they were looking deep into my soul, but if I tried looking into his, the cold chains would hold me back.

Acting on my somewhat creepy, but reasonable thoughts, I grabbed the purple sketchbook that had gold designs engraved on the front. I flipped through the book until I found a blank page and drew his eyes. After a little bit, I grab a bunch of blue colored pencils trying to decide which blue matches his. But to no avail, I couldn't find one.

I sighed and leaned back on the tree I was sitting in front of. A voice startled me out of my thoughts, "What are you drawing?"

I shoot my head up and look up at the person in confusion. It was Jeremy. I smile up at him and say, "Eyes, Jere."

He laughs and looks away his eyebrows draw in. He turns back to me, "I'm sorry. I was-"

"No, Jeremy, this was on me," I say cutting him off. And it was on me, I made it seem like I didn't want him to be happy.

"No, no, no. Listen Y/N. You did nothing wrong. I shouldn't have lashed out on you the way I did." I shook my head, trying to stop him. "No, Y/N. I treat you like crap when all you do is care about me."

I smile at him, "Look, we've both been pretty shitty friends." We both laugh. "So, how about we just hug and forgive each other?"

He nods and I stand. We wrap our arms around each other and I breathe in his scent. I missed him. "I missed you.. like a lot." His chest rumbles when he laughs.

"You're my best friend and I can't stand when we're on the outs." Looking up to him I ask, "Can we promise each other something?"

He nods and looks down at me, "Yeah, of course. What is it?"

"Let's promise each other that even if we hit a rough patch we'll always check up on each other and get over ourselves?"

"Okay, I promise, do you?" I nod and pull away from the hug.

"Can I tell you something? Well, never mind I know I can." I shake my head, letting out a little laugh.

"I met someone the other day at the Grill." Jeremy's head picks up in interest, his right eyebrow raised. "We didn't really talk that much, but he was just so... mysterious."

I started to think about him. His sexy smirk.. wait, did I just say sexy? I don't know what's wrong with me.

I snapped out my daydream when I saw that Jeremey was laughing at me. I smacked his arm.

"That is not funny," I said feigning a shocked and offended look on my face.

"I'm sorry, but it is," He says in between laughs. "I've never seen you like this over someone."

I look down and laugh a little, "Yeah, it's new for me too. I mean it's different."

We sit down and he tries to press me for more information on the mystery man while stealing some of my food. But I don't say anything and instead sit there drawing. I had to see him again even if only for a minute to look into his ocean blue eyes.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Jeremy had ridden home with Elena. Bonnie was driving. They offered me a ride, but I declined explaining that I ride my bike to school.

I had to run by the art room to pick up a small painting of mine that was put on display. I was putting it into my backpack when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

I pulled it out, thinking it was Jeremy, but to my surprise it was Stefan. I opened the text message.

Stefan - _Hey, you left your journal in history earlier. I tried to find you, but couldn't. I can bring it to you if you want._

Furrowing my brows in confusion I check my bag to see if my journal was there. It wasn't. I guess I was too busy daydreaming to notice that I had left it.

I look back down at my phone to text him back.  
 _I didn't even realize it was missing. Thx for grabbing it. I'll come to you._

I walk out of the school and reach my bike sitting inside of the metal bike rack. I hop on and start riding.

After a while, I made my way to where some of the richer founding families lived. I had seen his house a few times, but never inside. I started to slow down, trying to figuring out which way to turn.

I went with my gut and started pedaling again. I came to a stop when a beautiful vintage house, more like a mansion, came into view.

I hopped off the bike and almost fell. After regaining my balance, I grabbed the handles of the bike and walked it towards the middle of the yard. As I walked to the front door, I realized how large the property was.

For some reason, I hesitated before I knocked. I think I was nervous to be in someone else's house. I pushed away the nervousness and knocked.

The door pushed open and I realized it was never fully closed. I looked around the inside of the house from where I stood. I didn't want to go in and be rude, but my body had other plans.

I walked in and look around as I made my way through the walkway. The house had a very vintage and cozy feel to it. On the walls, there were paintings and other artwork.

I stepped down into what looked like the living room. It was spacious and on both sides of the walls were bookshelves lined with books. I walked to the one that was closer to me.

I drop my bag next to me on the floor. My fingers skim over some of the books. The leather on most being worn, which showed many years of love. I came across one that stood out to me. It was a classic—one that I had read quite a few times.

I pulled it from its place only to almost drop it when a deep, raspy voice shook me from my reverie, "The Call of the Wind. One of my personal favorites."

I turned my head to see the beautiful stranger standing in front of me. He had that same smirk from the other night on his face. His blue eyes had a sparkle in them, vaguely reminding of crystals. I tried to stop my eyes from looking him up and down, but I couldn't stop.

He was wearing a black v-neck, but no leather jacket. He was wearing black jeans and black shoes. When I looked back up at me, his smirk only seemed to grow, "Like what you see?"

I stammered trying to redeem myself, "No, I mean.. I didn't mean to do that." I grew flustered as my face heated up.

"I'm just messing with you. What are you doing here-" he stops and looks at me, "Wait, let me guess." He snaps his fingers. "Stefan?"

I nod and fiddle with a piece of my hair, a habit I have had since a child. I did it then I was nervous or feeling shy.

Clearing my throat, I speak up, "I left my journal in class and he grabbed it for me." He nodded and took a step towards me.

I froze and looked up at him. His arm startling blue eyes met my rather dull Y/EC eyes. He started to reach out to me, but when I flinched slightly, he moved his hand away.

I notice just how close we are when someone walked into the house. Damon turns his head to the hallway and so do I. Elena emerges and I suddenly feel self-conscious when I see how Damon stares at her. She looks confused when she notices us both. I'm assuming she hasn't met him yet.

Stefan comes out, "Hey Elena what are you doing here?" He has my journal in hand.

Elena speaks up, her voice soft, "I came to ask if you wanted to come to a party with me, but if you're busy then it's fine."

"I'm sure he can make it," Damon answers for Stefan causing him to look our way. He looks confused when he sees us close together. Damon walks toward Elena and I step near Stefan. Damon introduces himself to her.

"I'm Damon, Stefan's big brother, only I'm more handsome. And you're welcome to stay if you want," there was a cocky tone in his voice and it seemed as if he was trying to flirt with her.

Stefan looks angry, "No, she can't." He looks to Elena, "Sorry, my brother doesn't know how to act sometimes." She nods in understanding. I knew she was thinking about Jeremy.

Stefan turns to me, "I thought I was coming to you."

Everyone turns their attention to me, "Sorry, I was out anyway and thought I would just come myself." Stefan hands me my journal.

"Elena, I would love to go with you, how about I meet you there?" Elena smile and nods.

She turns to me, "You can come too, Y/N, if you want."

I shake my head, "I'm okay, thanks for offering though." After that, she bids her goodbyes. We say bye to her and Damon waves flirtatiously and for some reason, I felt a weird emotion. I don't know what it is because I've never really felt it before.

"Sorry about the mix-up. I should've come to you and don't worry, I didn't read it."

I laugh and tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, "Don't worry about it. I need the exercise anyway." I left Damon's gaze on me and my face grew hot again.

"You shouldn't be out here all by yourself. There are some dangerous things out there." Damon said while looking at me, a grin appearing on his face.

Stefan glared at Damon. It had me thinking there was some sibling rivalry going on. "I'm sure she can handle herself just fine."

Damon sighed in annoyance, "I know that little bro, but all I was gonna tell her is that she's welcome to stay if she wants." He turns to me, "And that she can come over anytime."

Stefan looked like he was going to punch Damon, but before the two could get into a brawl, I spoke up. "Could I stay?" Both boys turned their attention back to me. "I mean if that's okay. No one's at home and at least I'll have company."

Stefan's face softened as he nodded his head, "Yeah, of course." He shoots Damon a hard look, "You're welcome to stay, but I'll be leaving in a bit. I could take you home then?"

"I'm sure Damon could keep me company when you leave," I smile at them both.

"I sure could," Damon said, his smirk appearing again.

"Well, I've got to head out to do some things, so just make yourself at home." I nodded and he came over to hug me. I wrapped my arms around him and I was glad that I had another friend that was as caring as him.

He walked over to the door and opened it. Before he left, he turned around and waves before walking out, closing the door behind him.

I turned around and walked over to where I left my bag and picked it up. Sitting in the chair closest to me, I pulled out my homework and a notebook. I was about to start doing my work when Damon spoke up, "So you'd rather be doing homework than having fun?"

I turn around and look up at him, "Well I think of it like this," I say gesturing with my hands, "If I were to have fun now, I'd have to stop to do the work, but if I get it done now, then I'll have more time to have fun."

He nodded, listening to my logic. "Well, I'll just be over here when you finally decide to stop wasting your time on meaningless work." He laughed as he grabbed a small glass cup and poured what I think was bourbon inside.

"I'll be done soon and then I'm all yours." I turned around laughing a little before getting started.

After about 10 or so minutes I felt like I was being stared at and lifted my gaze to look around the room. It was Damon. He was staring at me and I was staring at him.

I coughed and turned away to get back to my work. I finished answering the last few questions and put everything back into my bag.

Standing up, I stretched before turning to Damon. "So what kind of fun did you have you have in mind?"

He smirked at me and stood up. He walked over to a radio and it started playing music. He fiddled with it for a little before party/dance music started playing. I laughed as he walked over to me dancing.

He downed what was left in the cup before setting it down on the table. He grabbed my hands and I shook my head. "I don't dance sorry."

He laughed, "Well, you're dancing today beautiful." I felt my heart jump a little when he called me that. No one ever really called me beautiful.

He grabs my hands and makes me dance with him. I laugh as he spins me around.

Normally, I would be nervous to do this with someone I barely knew, but there was something about him that made me want to be my crazy, weirdly funny self.

We started dancing all around the room. I think for the first time in a while I was having real fun. Jumping and spinning around with him was nice. Not that time with Jeremy wasn't fun, this was just new.

After a while, I was tired so I just plopped down onto the floor. He still seemed to have a little energy, which was probably from the alcohol in his system.

He dropped down next to me and I laid back on the floor, panting from all the dancing. He laughed at me and followed suit, "Looks like someone is a little tired."

I turn my head towards him so I could look at his face, "And you're not?"

"Let's just say that I've got good stamina," He winked at me and I was pretty sure he was implying something else.

I coughed and turned my head, not replying to what he said. I didn't know exactly what to say.

Well, I did say something that was really stupid of me. "Can I draw you?" As the words left my mouth, I instantly regretted them.

"Draw me?" He seemed like he was going to start laugh. I covered my face with my hands and laughed into them.

"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. And I'm pretty sure that sounded really weird. Just forget I even said anything." I rambled trying to justify what I asked.

"It's okay if I could draw, I'd ask the same. But if you want a constant reminder of this handsome face," I struggled to keep in a chuckle, "All you have to do is ask for my number."

I looked up, "Are you sure? I mean you want to be friends?"

He nodded and held out his hand. I cocked an eyebrow confused, "What?"

He sat up and laughed, "Your phone, silly. How else am I gonna put my number in?"

I'm slow, really slow. I pull out my phone from my pocket and hand it to him. He grabs it from me and puts his number in.

I do the same with his phone when I realize what time it is. "I should probably be getting home."

He frowns before a smirk reappears, "Getting tired of me already." I shake my head and laugh, standing up.

I grab my bag from by the chair and turn to him, "If anything, you'll be the one to get tired of me first." He walks me to the door and opens it.

I turn to him, "I had fun today, we should do that again, but next time with food. We could be food friends."

He chuckles and waves to me as I start to walk away. I don't hear the door close so I turn and see him leaning against the door frame, watching me.

I wave before getting on my bike and pedaling my way home. I was glad I decided to come to their house because we met again and it was fun. Now I have 3 guy friends, but no girl friends. Maybe that could change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'd love to know what you guys think, Diamond xx


	6. New Friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovelies. enjoy!

New friends? Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing. Ever since that day with Damon, we've been talking a lot, getting to know each other.

I've learned some interesting things about him, but it seems like neither of us is just willing to let our guards down. I think Elena and Stefan are dating now. I'm happy for them. They seem like they really care about each other. I think they both need that, especially with what little Stefan told me about his ex, Katherine.

Friday's the first football and I usually don't go to these types of things, but Stefan begged me to go and how could I resist him with he pulls his puppy dog face.

I've hung out a couple of times with him and Elena and it's been fun. Elena and I might just be becoming friends. I think that's the right word to use.

Apparently, Damon and Caroline gave something going on and I'll have to admit that I'm a little jealous. I mean sometimes we won't hang out because of her, but if I'm being completely honest, he doesn't seem that interested. Well, he might just be interested in doing other things.

For some odd reason, Bonnie isn't so fond of Stefan. I don't know why, but all she said was that she got a weird vibe from him. Maybe it's her witch senses coming in. Her Grams is the town witch and she teaches some type of witchcraft class at Whitmore college. Even though most people don't believe in that-- something about it draws me to me.

So, to make things all nice and warm, Elena is hosting a little dinner party for Bonnie and Stefan to get to know each other better. I'm going too, to be a buffer and it doesn't hurt that there's free food.

Right now I'm at home, doing nothing. I'm in the kitchen looking for a quick snack when something catches my eye. It's a candle that I'm sure wasn't there before. It's vanilla scented and for some reason, I want to light it.

I search around the kitchen before looking in the drawer beneath one of the cabinets and find a lighter, it's light blue.

I walk back over to the candle and grab it, tilting it. I try flicking the lighter on and nothing again happens. I sigh and try again and what do you know, nothing happens.

I let out a sigh of frustration before setting down the candle. I try again and it doesn't work, so I just sit the lighter on the countertop and grab my smack.

I stay in the kitchen for a little bit listening to music and doing homework. I check the tome and see that it's getting close to time for me to head over to Elena's.

Just as I'm about to walk out of the kitchen, I see a little flicker of a flame coming from the candle. I was wondering what that smell was coming from. I have no idea how it got lit. Maybe I was too frustrated to notice that it actually worked, but still, it's weird.

I shrug it off and grab one of my messenger bags and put my sketchbook and pencil pouch inside. I don't live that far off from her house, so I blow out the candle and turn off the extra lights before locking up. I start walking over and I'm there in about 5 or so minutes.

Even though I'm used to being there I still knock, so that's what I do. While waiting on Elena to open the door, Bonnie walks up next to. "Hey, Bonnie."

"Hey, Y/N. So you're the second buffer?" I nod and just when I'm about to say something Elena opens the door.

"Hey Bonnie and Y/N," she steps back and widens the door, "Come in." Bonnie and I look at each other before she steps in and I after her.

I can smell the food from where I stand and it seems delicious. Yes, I get excited when there's food. Who doesn't?

We walk over to the dining table and the food is already there warm and ready to eat. Stefan greets us both as we go to sit down. "Hey Bonnie," he turns to me, "Hey Y/N."

We start eating and it's quiet for a while, the tension in the room so thick you could cut it with a knife. Elena breaks the ice, "Bonnie, why don't you tell Stefan about your family history."

Bonnie shot a look at Elena, "It's not much, but my ancestors came from Salem." I perk my head up in curiosity and so does Stefan's.

"Really? Witches?" He asks. Bonnie nods her head and Stefan smiles at her, "That's interesting."

She shrugs, "I mean I guess so."

Stefan shakes his head, "No really it is."

She smiles at him and random conversation comes about as we finish our food.

As we're putting away the food, the doorbell rings. Stefan says he'll get it and walks to the front door. He's talking with whoever's there for a little bit when Elena goes over to him and lets them in.

I go into the living room to grab my sketchbook when I bump into a firm chest. "Hello, beautiful. We just always seem to bump into each other."

I look up and see that it's Damon. I smile up at him and laugh, "Guess I'm just clumsy." Caroline clears her throat from behind him.

I step back and look at her. She's pretty, smart and funny, no wonder Damon likes her. When I meet her eyes, it seems like she's glaring at me. Is she jealous? If so, why? Damon would never go for someone like me.

"Hey Caroline," I wave at her and to prove her dominance or whatever she steps up and links her arm with Damon. I sigh and take another step back.

I grab my sketchbook and Bonnie comes in, but stops cold at the sight of Damon. She just seems not to like any new people, huh?

Elena sensing the tension said, "Bonnie why don't you help me wash the dishes." Bonnie stares a Damon for a bit before straightening and turning on her heel to go into the kitchen.

Damon sits down in the chair and Stefan takes the couch next to him. Feeling that both of them need to talk I go into the kitchen and sit down at the island in the middle. A little while after, Caroline comes in and asks if we need any help. I just sit there confused because she's not the kind of girl to offer if someone needs help with cleaning.

I start sketching the candle from earlier making the flame appear as if it was moving. I tune out everything else as I start adding more details. Eventually, I laid my head down and drift off into a light sleep. A tap on my shoulder takes me back to the present.

Stefan stands beside me, "You okay?" I nod and rub my eyes, yawning. "Yeah, just a little tired."

I put my sketchbook in my bag and put it on my shoulder. "I can walk you home," Stefan says as Elena steps into the kitchen.

Looking around the room I ask, "Where'd everyone else go?"

Elena laughs, "While you were being Sleeping Beauty, Caroline and Damon left to go somewhere. Bonnie left a little while after."

I nod, "I must've been out for a while, huh?" I yawn again, ready to be snuggled deep into my warm, comfy bed.

Stefan shakes his head, "Actually not for that long, Bonnie left a few minutes ago. If you want I can take you home." He slips his black leather jacket on.

"No, I'm fine. I don't live that far away, besides the walk will help me wake up a bit, so I don't fall asleep in the shower."

We all laugh and they walk me to the front door, "We'll see you tomorrow, Y/N. Bye." I wave to them and start walking back to my house.

Once I get inside I go up to my room and grab some shorts and a tank top to put on after my shower. I slip my shoes off and throw my bag on the bench in front of my bed.

I drag myself and my clothes over to the bathroom. I place the clothes on the counter and turn around to turn the water on. I turn the shower on and walk over to the mirror.

I look at myself in the mirror and sigh before grabbing my toothbrush and the toothpaste from the counter. I brush my teeth and rinse my mouth out.

When the mirror starts to fog up, I peel off my clothes and left them to fall into a pile on the floor. I pull the shower curtain back a little and climb inside.

I sigh as the steaming hot water cascades over me, loosening my muscles and relieving my stress. I stand there for a while and just let the water engulf me in its hot embrace.

Once I'm done washing up, I turn off the water and step out onto the bath rug. I wrap a towel around me and start to dry myself off.

When I'm mostly dry, I slip on my nightclothes and throw the dirty ones into the laundry hamper on the way to my room. I put my feet into my slippers and go into my closet to grab one of the journals.

I bring it back with me to my room and sit on my bed. Turning, I reach over to the light on my nightstand. I open the journal to where I last left off.

It reads:

_10 January 2001_

_It's been a cold winter. The group wants to act now, but some of the others and I have our doubts._

_Everything seems off. It seems like something bad will happen soon. All we want to do is protect Y/N, but I don't know what might happen._

_Someone's coming, I must go before they find this. Goodbye, journal._

I sit back against my headboard and reread the words: ' _All we want to do is protect Y/N.'_ What does that mean? Protect me from what and who is the group?

Maybe my parents had more going on than they let on. Whatever it is, I need to know, but for now, I'm going to sleep.

I slid down and snuggle into my blankets, only moving to pull the string of my light. I closed my eyes and tried to think of what might be going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you guys think, Diamond xx


	7. Friday Nights & Bright Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aren't Fridays supposed to be fun...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovelies. enjoy!

It's finally Friday. For some reason this week went by sort of slow. Sadly for me, I have to go to the football game. Even though Stefan wanted me to anyways, Elena begged me to, so now I really have to. And I don't want to sit in uncomfortable stands, eat overly priced food, and be surrounded by people telling way too loud.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Stefan and I'm even warming up to Elena, but that doesn't mean that I want to go. I guess the upside is that Damon might go so I could see him and I've missed him.

It's lunch now and I'm walking over to where Stefan and Elena are. As I approach the table, Caroline and Bonnie come rushing over to tell Elena something. As they take her away, I sit down beside Stefan. He turns to me laughing, "You're still going to the game right?"

I nod as a pop a couple of grapes into my mouth. "Quick question." He looks up at me and nods as a sign for me to continue. "So... you and Elena?"

He laughs and looks down, a slight red tint coming to his face, "Yeah, me and Elena." He turns back to me, "You're okay with that?"

I sigh and shake my head. I watch as his face falls before looking confused when I start laughing. "Of course I'm okay with that. You're like my best friend and if you're happy, I'm happy."

He smiles and nudges me slightly, "And here I was thinking that you didn't approve." I push my food to the side of me and reach into my bag to grab my sketchbook. I let out a loud 'ouch' when something inside pricks my finger.

Stefan looks over at me concerned, "What happened? Are you okay?"

I nod, removing my hand from the bag, "Something pricked my finger." I look down at it, "Oh, it's bleeding." When I look back to him, he quickly turns away and now I'm the one worried.

"I'm sorry Stefan, I didn't know you didn't like the sight of blood." I look around for a napkin and spot one in the side pocket of my bag. Grabbing it, I wrap it around my finger.

"No, it's fine, just makes me a little squeamish." He turns back, looking a little tense.

I find a loose bandaid in my bag and wrap it around my finger. "All patched up."

After that, we went back to normal, which included him reminding me I had to go to the game. I told him that if he kept bugging me, I wasn't going, so he kept quiet.

Once the bell rang signaling that lunch was over, I put my things away in my bag and went to my next class. I told Stefan that I'd see him later at the game if I didn't change my mind.

The rest of the day was the same except for the rowdy noise of everyone getting excited about the first football game. Another upside is being able to take photos. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm a very artsy person. Art, writing, and photography, I could be an art major.

I had a couple of hours to blow off before the game so I decided to head home and read the journal again. Maybe I could find more things out. I headed home on my beloved bike and unlocked the front door with my key.

My phone buzzed as I was putting my bag down. I pull out of my phone as I shrug off my jacket.

Damon - _Hello beautiful. We haven't spoken in quite some time. Wanna meet up later?_

As I read his text, a grin grew on my face and I felt myself getting giddy for some reason. I walk over to the kitchen table and sit down.

_Hey :) And we haven't talked bc you're always with Caroline_

While I'm waiting for him to respond, I go over to the fridge and grab out some food. I put it in the microwave and walk back over to my phone. I sit back down and read his text.

Damon - _Well I'm sorry for ignoring you. Wanna hang out later?_

I contemplate what I should do. Go to the game and support Stefan or hang out with Damon and get to know him better?

I sighed, knowing that I made a promise to Stefan and I wasn't going to break it.

_I would love to, but I already promised Stefan that I would go to the game for me today._

The microwave beeps loudly making me jump and I get up to get my food out. I almost drop the plate because it was so hot. Letting it cool down some, I check to see if he texted back.

He hadn't so, I just brought my plate over to the kitchen table and ate my food. I paused when my phone buzzed again. Picking it up I read it.

Damon - _I almost forgot my little bro had a game tonight. Well since you're going I might just make an appearance._

My grin returns and it wasn't from the food sitting in front of me.

_That seems like a good idea. See you then_

Damon - _See you then beautiful x_

I smile to myself and continue eating. Once I'm done, I wash and rinse my plate and put it in the dish rack.

I wipe my hands off the towel beside the sink and grab my phone off the table. I head upstairs to my room.

Sitting on my bed, I grab the journal from my nightstand and lean against my pillows. I flip through pages to the next journal entry.

_03 February 2000_

_It's been almost month and the council is still hostile. They won't let the issue be at rest. I'm scared of what might happen next._

_Y/N's birthday is coming soon and I want to be there for her, but I'm not sure if I can. The council is getting angry and I'm very close to the truth._

_I'll figure out what's going on and see what'll happen after._

_Goodbye, Journal_

This all starting to get really confusing. Why were the council getting angry? What did the want? And why were, whoever wrote this journal, looking for answers and to what?

I sighed, placing the journal back at its resting place. Standing up, I stretch and yawn a little. I rub the sleep away from my eyes as I trudge over to my dresser and grab the camera from it.

I sit down in my window seal and curl up with my camera taking photos of the sky and the street. I look around the street when I hear a door close, but I don't see anyone so I just ignore it. When I hear the doorbell ring, I jump up from my spot and go downstairs to the door.

"Who is it?" I say as I clear my throat. I fiddle with the hem of my shirt awaiting an answer.

"Sheriff Forbes," I let out a sigh of relief as I unlock the door. I see that she had some bags in her arms and I rush to relieve her of her struggles.

"Hey Sheriff, what're you doing here?" I question while placing the bags in the kitchen. She starts taking the things out of the bags and I notice it's food.

She turns to me, "Just came to bring some food by, don't want you starving." She puts some eggs and milk in the fridge. "You know, if you ever need it, my house is always open to you. Now, I'm not always there, you know sheriff duties, but Caroline is there and at least you won't be alone."

I nod, "Thanks Sheriff, but sometimes I like the solitude, but maybe I'll take you up on your offer." I put some pop tarts in the cabinet, "So, do you have any news?"

She shakes her head and I feel my heart drop a little. I nod, trying to blink away my dam of tears, knowing if a few things went wrong, the water would come spilling out.

Seeing how quiet I got, she says, "Oh, Y/N" she wraps her arms around me. I sniffle trying to make the dam stronger. "I promise you, I will figure this out.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," I say.

Just as she was about to respond, a voice came through the walkie-talkie attached to her shirt. She responded and once she was done, she turned back to me and sighed.

She placed her hands on my shoulder, "You know I would stay if I could, but duty calls."

I nod, clearing my throat, "It's fine, really. You save a job to do and I can take care of myself. But thank you for the food."

She nods as I walk her over to the door. She turns to me and hugs me once again, "Take care, Y/N and don't be afraid to take me up on my offer." She pulls away and walks out the door.

I wave when she gets in her car and close the door. I lean back against the door and sigh. That's when I let the dam flood. I sink down to the floor, sobbing as tears rushed from my eyes. It felt like someone was crushing my heart.

I gasp, my breath getting caught in my throat as I continue crying. Everything hurt and all I could wish for was a switch to make the pain go away.

I hear my phone start buzzing from my back pocket. I ignore it thinking it's just a text from Stefan or Jeremy. When it keeps buzzing, I pull it from my pocket and clear my throat. I accept the call and lean my back against the door.

"Hello?" I ask, my voice slightly hoarse from crying.

"Hey, it's Damon. Are you okay?" I close my eyes and shake my head, but stop when I notice he can't see me.

"I'm fi-," my voice chokes up when more tears slide out my eyes. I drop the phone on the floor as I start to cry again, not even being able to talk.

He calls out my name a few times, but I ignore everything around me and close my eyes. I bring my knees up to my chest and rock back and forth.

I hear a loud knock on the door and still my movements. "Y/N, it's Damon. Can you open the door?" I slowly raise my arm to unlock the door.

I scoot away from the door and lean against the wall near me. I look up Damon opens the door and looks around before seeing me curled up against the wall, tears rolling down my cheeks. His eyes soften and he closes the door behind him.

He gets down the floor with me and asks me what's wrong, but I can't seem to find the words. He wraps his arms around me and I freeze up at first. I lean into him, my tears probably wetting his shirt as I grabbed onto him when I started crying again.

Damon doesn't say anything, he just holds me and for that I'm grateful. All he does is rub my back and shush me. Once I've used all my tears, my eyes and my throat sore, I release his shirt from my grasp.

I cough as I sniffle to regain myself. My sniffles continue when I relax into his arms. He leaned his head down to look at me.

"You okay?" He asks as his cold fingers wipe away the almost dried tears on my cheeks.

I sigh softly, almost wanting to lean into his hands. "I'll be okay." My breath hitches when he begins tucking the fallen hair on my face behind my ear.

"I was worried about you." I laugh a little grabbing his hand in mine and pulling it away from my face and into my lap.

"Didn't think you had it in you," I said as I, unknowingly, stroke his knuckles with my right thumb.

He feigns hurt, "Ouch! Well, there's a lot of things you don't know about me, flower." My head perks up when he calls me flower.

"Why flower?" He let go of my hand, and I start missing his touch for some reason He pushes himself off the floor with his hands.

He holds his hand out to me and I take, "The other day, I saw you drawing one in your sketchbook." He says as he pulls me up, steadying me when I almost fall.

"Thank you, but how did you know where I live?" I ask as I lean back against the wall. I run my hands over my face.

"Well, it's a small town and all I had to do was ask someone where you lived. I tried checking the Grille and the library, but I guess a third times a charm."

I rush forward and wrap my arms around his torso. He hesitates a moment before wrapping his arms around me.

"Thank you, Damon."

"It's no problem, Y/N." He releases me from his grasp. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

I shake my head, "No, if you don't mind." He nods in understanding, following me as I make my way into the kitchen.

I sit down on a chair and he does the same. He looks around my house from where he sat, "We should probably get going soon."

I raise my eyebrow in confusion, "What, why?"

He turns back to me, "The game silly." I laugh when he pretends he's throwing a football.

"Oh, yeah. I completely forgot about that." I rub my eyes gently. "Well, I'm gonna run up to my room to grab some stuff, you can come up if you want."

"Inviting me to your bedroom this early? We haven't even been on a date yet, beautiful."

\-------------------------------------------------------

After I had gotten everything I needed, Damon drove me and him up to the school. When I asked what type of car he said and I quote "this beauty right here is a 1969 Chevy Camaro Convertible." You can tell he loves his car, probably just as much as he loves flirting.

We split up when we got there, me to go take pictures and him to find Stefan. I was zooming in on the night sky trying to get a good picture when I hear someone call my name.

I turn around, letting go of my camera, it being secured by the strap around my neck.

"Y/N, there you are," Elena says as she runs up to me. I raise my camera and shoot a quick picture of her.

She laughs as she wraps her arms around me, "We were looking for you earlier."

We pull away and I tilt my head in confusion, "Who's we?"

"Oh, Stefan. He went to go look for you, but the game is starting soon so he might already be out there."

"Damon went looking for him," I said as we started walking to the stands.

"You were with Damon?" she asked disgust in her voice, "He was trying to flirt with me earlier."

"Oh..." I didn't know why but it felt like he could only seem to be nice to me. "Maybe I should go find them, they're probably together."

She nods and heads over to the stands while I make my way towards where the locker room is. I hear voices and duck behind a trash can.

I see Stefan and Damon talking but I can't hear them. I pull my camera out and take some pictures.

Coach Tanner comes over to tell Stefan it's time to go. I keep taking pictures. Suddenly, something zooms over to him and starts attacking him. I fall back, my eyes wide as I see the blood draining from his neck. When I look back up, Damon is gone and Stefan stands over Coach's body.

I stand up and run over to where Stefan sat. I place my hands interlocked over his chest and try doing CPR. My breathing becomes shallow and quick. I keep doing the compressions when I get moved out of the way by Stefan.

I notice the paramedics are trying to revive him, but after a while, they pronounced him as dead.

Dead. People start to crowd over to see what happened. I start to panic. I rise up and turn around ready to run away when I bump into someone's chest.

I apologize before leaving. I start walking fast, then jogging until I'm full-on running. I couldn't think straight, so I just ran. I got tired so I sat down on a nearby bench.

I pull my knees up to my chest and rock back and forth while panting. That shouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have seen that. What kind of animal would do that?

I don't know when and I don't know how but I had gotten up and made my way to my house. Unlocking the door, I slipped into the darkness and made my way to the couch.

I turned on the lamp next to me and pulled my camera up to my face. I began looking at the pictures I had taken.

I looked at the ones leading up to the attack. Wait a minute. That wasn't right. An animal couldn't have zoomed over to Coach Tanner that fast, that quick. And why didn't it go after Stefan?

What was I missing? There was something wrong with what happened. And I'm going to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you guys think, Diamond xx


	8. Dancing, Deals, and Damon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To bear witness...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovelies. hope you enjoy!

I've been processing the death of Coach Tanner. There was a memorial service for him that week. Pretty much everyone in town went.

I've been looking at the pictures I took that night and some things just aren't adding up. How could something, an animal, move and attack that fast? Why didn't is attack Stefan who was closer? But most importantly, where did Damon go?

I know this is weird, but it almost seemed like Damon had sped over to him and attacked. And I know that Damon isn't the most caring, but who would leave someone to die like that?

So that's where I was headed to, well about to head to. I got a call from Elena.

"Hello?" I asked as I made my way out the door.

"Hey, Y/N. You're going to Founders' Day party at Mayor Lockwoods' house, right?"

I halted, halfway out the door. "Oh, shoot! I completely forgot about that." I close the door behind me as I walk out and sit on the porch.

"Well, are you going?" I fiddle with a piece of my hair.

"Yeah, I just gotta find a dress. When is it?" I stand up and stretch.

She tells me the time and asks if I'll need a ride. I say yes and make my way back into the house.

My trip to see Damon would have to wait. I had to figure out what I was wearing.

I made my way up to my room and set my bag down on my bed. I go straight over to my closer. I push the clothes out of the way until I find the dresses at the very back.

I end up deciding on 3 different ones, but I wasn't sure which one. What would Damon like?

I mentally facepalm and mumble, "Since when do we care about people's opinions?"

I decided on the dark blue (or your favorite color) dress that went to my knees but was flowy at the bottom. Simple, yet presentable.

I lay it on my bed and check the time. I had a couple of hours before it was time to go, so I decided to take a quick shower.

Once the water was to my liking, I stripped and pulled the curtain aside to step in. I sighed as the water cascaded down my back, relaxing my tense muscles.

I was washing my body with the soaped up towel when Damon popped into my head. They were pleasant until I began to think about both Damon and Stefan.

Maybe I'm overthinking but it's odd than weird things have happened ever since they arrived in town. Is possible—no I'm just overthinking—but could it be possible that Damon attacked Coach Tanner?

No, no. How? How would he have done that? And most importantly, why?

I shook my head, ignoring the pending questions. Whatever happened, I'm gonna get to the bottom of it.

Once I was out of the shower and wrapped in my towel, I went back to my room. I threw the towel on my bed and put on my underwear I'm bra.

They were mismatched but honestly who cares. No one's gonna see them anyways but me.

I checked the time and saw that I had about an hour and a half before I was time to go. I sat down on my bed and put lotion on my legs and arms. Then I laid back and looked up the ceiling.

After a little bit, I sat up and looked around my room. Maybe some paint would look good. Yeah, that's what I'll do, I'll paint something on the walls.

I stood up and pulled my dress off the hanger. I put it on and looked in the mirror. Hey, I don't look too bad.

I twirled around in it and actually felt pretty for once. I slipped on my flats and yes, I'm wearing flats. I would fall on my butt if I tried heels.

I padded over to my dresser. I grabbed my necklace from the tray and clutch it in my hand, closing my eyes.

I let out a shaky breath and put the necklace on. I was about to put on a small pair of earrings when my phone started ringing.

Turning around, I headed over to my bed and grabbed my phone. I answered the call, putting the phone up to my ear, "Hello?"

"Hey, Y/N. I'm on my way," Elena said, "I'll honk when I'm outside."

"Okay, I'll be waiting," I said as I looked at myself in the mirror one last time before heading downstairs.

I fiddle with a piece of my hair as I sat down on the bench in the hallway. My thoughts took my back to Damon. I had a plan. At the party, I would pull him aside and confront him about it. Not a very good plan, but hey, it's all I could think of.

My thoughts are cut short when a honk sounds from outside. I stand up, and walk over to the door, opening it and locking it.

I close the door behind me as I walk across the sidewalk to Elena's car. I open the passenger door and get in the car.

"Oh my gosh, you look so pretty," Elena said once she got a good look at me. I looked down at myself and shrugged.

I turned back to her, "Are you kidding? You look amazing, as usual."

She laughed and shrugged me off, but I was being for real. Like how in the hell is she always so pretty?

We talked on the car ride there. We were laughing and singing along to songs on the radio. Maybe both of us would become good friends.

————————————————————————

I was sipping some punch, which was not spiked, while looking around. We met up with Stefan but I let them be, so they could be all couple like.

I was off to the side, being completely social. Did you catch the sarcasm there?

I was looking around the room I was in—people were laughing, drinking, and having fun. I sighed, not feeling what they were feeling.

A voice interrupted my thoughts, "Why are you all alone, beautiful?"

I looked up from my drink and turned to my left. Just upon seeing a glass of bourbon in his right hand, I knew who it was.

"Damon," I said as I turned my body in his direction.

His smirk appeared as usual and with this lighting and this darn suit I swear he looked more sexy than normal.

I coughed and looked away to stop myself from staring too long. I think he caught on because he let a low chuckle that made me feel weird.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." He said making me turn my attention back to him.

I gasp, "I was not looking at you. I mean—yes I was—but not in the way you're implying because-" I stopped when I realized I was talking too much, "I'm rambling aren't I?"

I shake my head when he says, "Yes, but I think it's cute." He reached his hand out and played with a piece of my hair.

I coughed and looked down so he wouldn't see the faint blush that appeared on my cheeks. Gosh, anything he did made me feel weird inside. I don't know how to explain it.

I stepped back from him when I remembered I had a plan. "So I have a question."

He grabbed a glass of bourbon I'm guessing from a waiter as they walked by, plate balanced on one hand.

We end up making our way outside where the majority of the people my age were.

"For me?" He raises his glass to his lips and I follow his movements. He could make anything—literally anything— look good.

I nod my head and look around the area to see if anyone was listening. When I turned my attention back to me he was already starting at me.

I let out a cough and looked away, "Why are you staring at me?"

He gently turns my face back to him, "Because... you're beautiful."

I shake my head not believing him, a scoff leaving my mouth.

"So, anyways-" before I can even ask him the question, Caroline makes her way over to us.

She sends me a forced smile before turning to Damon, "Babe," her voice being extremely whiny, "come dance with me. I'm bored."

I cough to get her attention. "I'll just go." I start to say before she cuts me off again.

"Oh sorry, Y/N, forget you were there." Damon makes the same face I'm sure I was making. "By the way, did my mom come to bring you the food and stuff last week?"

My face burns when Damon pulls a confused look. _Is she trying to embarrass me in front of him?!_

Caroline continues, "She said she would but you know how busy my mom can get." I nod and excuse myself claiming that I had to "use the bathroom."

I find the nearest bathroom and knocked before going on. The last thing I want to see is some horny teenagers doing the dirty. When no one answers I open the door and sigh once it's locked and closed.

Walking over to the sink I run a hand over my face. I totally blew my chance to ask Damon what happened that night.

I turned on the faucet and leaned down, splashing cool water onto my face. I grabbed one of the hand towels from the counter and dabbed my face with it.

————————————————————————

It's been a while since talking with Damon and Caroline. When I was leaving the bathroom, I saw Elena and Stefan with them. I didn't bother going to talk because I didn't wanna be fifth-wheeling.

I took a walk across the land. I started making my way to the lake area, wanting to be in a serene and quiet atmosphere.

When I heard voices I stopped and ducked behind some brush.

"She took it off and I got flustered, okay...?" It was from Caroline. "I didn't know what to say but I swear, okay, I did not tell her."

Was she talking to Damon? I could barely see because of these dang leaves. I moved around until I found a spot where I could see everything.

She was talking to Damon, but why did she look so scared and why did he look so angry.

Damon scrunches his face up, almost as if he was about to do something but restrained himself. He sighs and walks around her.

He leans into her ear and grips onto her, "You know you make me crazy right?" My heart sort of drops when I hear and see what he does. "It's okay, I forgive you."

Caroline lets out a sigh of relief. Damon tilts her head to the side and began kissing down her neck. I wanted to look away but my eyes were glued to him.

"Unfortunately..." he pulls her scarf to the side, "I am so over you now."

What just happened? One minute he's all over her then the next he's talking about how he's over her.

I let out a gasp before covering my mouth. I can't believe this. Right after he said that, fangs (vampire fangs) came from his mouth and he bit into her neck.

I shook my head. No, no, no. This can't be real. I rubbed my eyes and to no avail, he was still going.

By now, he had her in the grass. I watched, mortified, as he pulled away, a disgusted look on his face. "What the hell?"

He falls back on the grass and starts coughing, sounding in pain. No time after I heard footsteps. Stefan came into light and I was even more confused. What is going on?

"I knew I couldn't spike your drink," Stefan starts, "so I spiked hers." Spiked it with what?

Damon groans and rolls onto his back, arms stretched out. Stefan leans down to check on Caroline and turns back to Damon. I look around to see if anyone else saw what I did, but when I looked back, they were gone.

I fell back onto my butt, eyes wide and heart racing. How? What?

I'm too shocked to move but eventually, Elena spots Caroline and comes over to help. Once they leave, I stand up on shaky legs.

I made it back to the party and sat down on a couch in the house. Tyler Lockwood comes over to me a glass of "water" in his hand.

His smug grin is plastered on his face but he looks worried when he sees how shaken up I am. "Hey, Y/N. You okay?"

"I..." I look back up to him, "I don't know."

He looks around the room, "Do you need a ride home?" I nod and we leave to get in his car.

I don't remember the car ride except that it was silent. He had to shake my shoulder to get my attention once we made it to my house.

He placed his hand on my shoulder and I flinch at his touch so he removes it. "If you need to talk about anything, I'm here."

I nod before thanking him and heading inside.  
I made my way to my room and traded my dress for my pajamas.

I sat down on my bed and just thought about everything. How? Why? What? None of it made sense, I was confused.

I pulled out my journal grabbed a pen and begin to write.

————————————————————————

_September 24, 2009_   
_Thursday_

_Dear Journal,_

_I'm in shock. If only you could know everything going on in my head. I can't believe it. Vampires?_

_No, no. Even just saying that word is weird. Vampires aren't real. They're just this myth made up_ _by_ _people who wanted to tell stories._

_But the thing, it is true. It's painfully true and I saw it with my own eyes._

_This is just...weird and confusing. Is Damon is a vampire, is Stefan one too? And why couldn't Caroline remember what happened to her? How_ _did_ _they disappear so quickly?_

_There are so many questions running through my mind right that, it's crazy._

_I don't know what to believe anymore. I don't know what's going on._

_But I do know one thing for sure. I am going to get answers from both of them. Let's just hope I don't have to come up with some sort of deal to stay alive._

_Farewell, Journal_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think :) - Diamond xx


	9. I'm Going Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The diary of a crazy person? Oh, maybe it's me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovelies. hope you enjoy!

_September 28, 2009_   
_Monday_

_Dear Journal,_

_Something weird happened this weekend. I was trying to light the candle again and the stupid lighter wouldn't work._

_I was frustrated, but that's not the weird part. I set the lighter aside and pretended that I had "powers." I focused on the candle and all of a sudden a flame appeared. I'm confused. How did that happen? Did I do that?_

_I don't really know what happened but I think Bonnie and her Grams may be able to help me figure this out. Chances are it's just my imagination. Maybe I'm just going crazy. But I've got to go, Elena's picking me up soon._

_Farewell, Journal_

_————————————————————————_

We were at school now. Bonnie had ridden with Caroline and met up with us at Elena's locker. Caroline was off doing God knows what.

I was leaning on the locker listening to Bonnie and Elena talk. When we heard Caroline, we turned our heads to her and I was shocked at how normal she looked. Does she not remember what happened?

Elena turned to me and Bonnie, "Unbelievable..." she leaned towards us, "It's like nothing even happened."

"Does she really not remember?" I spoke up even though I know the true details of what happened that night.

"No, she's just in denial," Bonnie said as they both looked back over to her.

Footsteps came our way and Stefan flashed me a quick small and a wave that I didn't return. His face contorted into confusion. Until I knew the truth about what happened, I couldn't look at him. Why would he let Damon do that her? And if Damon is a vampire or whatever, maybe it's best if I keep my distance from the both of them.

"Hey," he comes over to Elena. I'm guessing that he's trying to make up for avoiding her these few days.

Bonnie, knowing that they needed to talk, said, "Hey, uh, you know, I gotta go, uh, be somewhere right now."

I smirk at her awkwardness and say, "Yeah, me too. See you later, Elena."

Bonnie walks off and I head in her direction. "Bonnie, wait up."

She stops walking until I catch up to her. Once I'm beside her she asks what's up.

"Okay, this is gonna sound weird, no, it is weird," I explain to her as we continue walking.

She pulls me to the side, where no one was walking, "What's going on?"

I look around, feeling nervous for some reason, "Well, lately weird things have been happening." She nods her head, "I agree."

I continue, "But I'm the one making the weird things happen." She raises an eyebrow and waves her hand for me to keep going.

"Last week I was trying to light a candle but the lighter wasn't working. The next thing I know the candle has a flame."

She looks at me, "Maybe the flame was small and you didn't see it at first."

"Yeah, well, that's what I thought at first, until this weekend." I look around to make sure no one was listening and leaned in closer to her. "I tried lighting the candle again, but it didn't work like last time. I put the lighter on the counter and concentrated on the candle."

She interrupts me, "Did a flame appear?" I nod and she got a conflicted look on her face.

"Maybe you should talk to my Grams." I start to say something before she continues, "I believe you, actually, I've been having some type of psychic powers or whatever lately."

"Really?" I ask shocked. I mean I know her Grams is the town "witch" but what if it's all real.

I mean, if vampires are real, why can't people be psychic and have powers?

"Yeah," she reached into her bag for a pen and piece of paper. She writes something down, "Here's her address. I'll give her a call and tell her to expect you."

I let out a sigh of relief, maybe I'd get some type of answers. "Thanks, Bon."

"You're welcome. Let me know what she says." I nod then the bell rings, signaling us to get to class.

_————————————————————————_

The school day had passed. At lunch, I told Elena and Bonnie that I had to go to the library to avoid talking to Stefan. But that wasn't the only reason. I went to do some research on vampires and possibly power/magic.

I had sat down on the floor with a stack of books to my right and a sandwich and grapes on my left. I flipped through the books and found some actually interesting information.

I wrote down some of the things I found on a notecard before putting the books away and packing my stuff up.

After that, the day went on as usual. I left school with Elena and she dropped me off at my house.

So then I hopped on my bike—I really need a car—and made my way to Bonnie's Gram's house.

That leads me to where I am now. I'm standing on the front porch. I raise my right hand to knock before dropping it. I let out a sigh. "There's no point, this is silly," I mumble to myself.

I turn around ready to walk away and go home when I hear a door open. I turn back around and see an older woman staring at me.

To be her age, she looks pretty young. She stays inside the doorway, "You're Bonnie's friend...Y/N, is it?"

I nod my head, "Yes ma'am."

She waves her hand, "No need for formalities. Ma'am makes me feel older than I already am." She gestures for me to come in.

I adjust my bag on my shoulder and step inside. I'm confused as she watches me as I get inside. I close the front door behind me as we head to her living room.

"Tea?" She asks as she goes to step into what I assume is the kitchen.

"Yes, thank you," I fiddle with a loose thread on my shirt while waiting for her to come back.

I don't notice her when she walks up, so her voice made me jump. "Here you go, sweetie." I take the cup from her and thank her.

"I didn't mean to startle you," she says as I sip from the cup, the warm liquid trickling down my throat, soothing it.

"It's fine," I set the cup on the platter she had set out for us, "I scare easily."

"So," I raise my gaze to her, "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

I straighten and run my hand over my hair. "Well, some weird things have been happening lately." She nods for me to continue, reminding me of Bonnie. "I know it sounds silly, but it's almost like I'm making these things happen."

I expect her to laugh or for amusement or annoyance to appear on her face, but no. Her eyebrows furrow and she waves her hand at me, "What do you mean?"

I pick my cup up and drink from it before speaking again, "So, I have a candle in my house and for some reason, the lighter I have hasn't been working." I take another sip, "Last week, the lighter wasn't working, and when I concentrated on the candle a flame appeared."

Her eyes widen, "What you're saying is that a flame appeared on its own?"

"Basically. You see, I thought I was just imagining things, but that wasn't the case apparently," I say as she gets up.

"What happened?" She walks over to a bookshelf in the room and pulls out a thick, leather book.

"The other day," I start, "I was trying to light the candle again, but I didn't try it with the lighter. I just focused on it and a flame appeared."

She nods and lays the book out on the table. "Come here." I get up and make my way over to her.

"This may sound crazy, but I believe you have powers." She says as she looks at me.

"Powers? What do you mean by that?" I ask, trying to wrap my head around what she meant.

"I take it you know what witches and psychics are?" I nod my head and she continues, "I believe you inherit the qualities of those in you."

"So, you're saying I'm a witch?" I ask, confusion, and also realization clouding my brain.

"In other words, yes." I sit down on the couch she was sitting on before. She follows me with the book in hand. "There are clues, per se, that tell you when this began."

"Like what?" I say as I fiddle with the piece of thread again.

"It most likely started when you were young—little things. You might have gotten upset and something fell when you weren't even near it. Maybe something happened and you felt this emotion that you've never had before..."

_—Flashback—_   
_2nd Person_

_You came home from school. Elena's parents had just dropped you off._

_You called out for your mom, she was usually home at this time, "Mom, are you home?"_

_When you received no answer, you went looking around the house for her, calling out for her._

_You sighed, figuring she wasn't here. You took your backpack into the kitchen, grabbed a snack, and sat down at the table._

_You started doing your homework. By the time you were done, it was around 5:30, the time your dad usually came home with ice cream for the three of you._

_You put your work back in your backpack and went into the living room, to wait on him and your mom. You turned on the TV and watched some reruns of Gilmore Girls._

_Eventually, you fell asleep on the couch. When you woke up, it was dark outside and in the house; the only sources of light coming from the moon, the kitchen light, and the lamp beside you._

_You rubbed your eyes and sat up. You stood up and called out for your mom and dad, "Mom, dad." The only answer you received was the sound of cars driving by._

_You made your way upstairs and checked their room and their offices, but they were nowhere to be found. Where were they? When you thought of it, you hadn't seen them all day. Your alarm woke you up that morning and you ate your own breakfast before leaving with Elena's parents._

_You went back downstairs and picked up the house phone. You were about to dial Sheriff Forbes' number but decided that they probably told you they were going to be late, but you just forgot._

_You went upstairs and got ready for bed. You assured yourself that they would be there in the morning, so you went to sleep._

_The next morning, you got ready, ate breakfast, and left for school. You forgot about checking if your parents are home._

_When you were in class, there was a knock on the door. The teacher let the person in, but you hadn't looked as you were doodling in your sketchbook._

_The teacher called your name, and you looked up. Everyone's heads were turned to you. Sheriff Forbes was in the doorway, but she didn't look too happy._

_All you thought was: Did I do something wrong? What happened? Is it my parents?_

_You packed your things up and left with her. She patted your head and said, "Hey, kiddo. We're gonna take a little trip to the police station. Is that okay?"_

_You nodded, still confused. After the drive there, she sat you in a chair in her office. There were two other officers in there, you waved at them. She gave you an apple juice box and sat down in front of you._

_"I have some bad news." Your head shot up and your eyes widened. "We found your parents' cars on the side of the road, but they weren't there."_

_You finally spoke, voice soft, "where are they? Are they okay?"_

_She tilted her head and frowned, "I don't know, sweetie." She kept talking, but you couldn't hear her. All you felt was sadness and this feeling, this feeling of being alone._

_Her mouth stopped moving when she looked back at you. You didn't know what she was looking at until the tears started streaming down your face._

_You started sobbing and burrowed your face in your small hands. They left you. You suddenly felt angry, for the first time, you were actually angry._

_There was a loud sound and you looked up to see that all the papers on her desk had fallen in a heap on the floor. They were strewn across the room._

_"Sorry, the window must be open," one of the officers said._

_Did you do that?_

_—End of Flashback—_

I knew what she meant and nodded my head, "Yeah that's happened before." I looked up at her, "I'm a witch..."

She nodded and pulled the book into her lap. She opened it and began explaining things to me.

The rest of my time there, she explained what witches were exactly, what different kinds there were, and how to tap into my powers.

I was amazed, confused, and surprised by everything she taught me. Who would've known?

I guess I'm not going crazy after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think - much love, Diamond xx


	10. Bippity, Boppity, Boop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bippity, boppity, boop... Do I have a fairy godmother?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovelies. hope you enjoy!

There was a loud crash.

A sigh left my mouth when I failed after the 1,000th time—okay, maybe not a thousand failed attempts, but it's pretty close. "This is pointless," I said as I plopped down into the chair behind me.

Bonnie's Grams looked at me scoldingly, "Get up, child." I stood up. "Did you expect this to be easy?"

Before I could answer, I was interrupted, "It's not Cinderella. It's not bippity, boppity, boop." She waved her hand around like she was doing magic.

I started laughing but stopped once I saw the look on her face. "Listen, honey." I looked up at her.

"This is going to be hard and frustrating. You're learning all these new things about yourself. But one thing you must always remember is to never give up."

"It's okay being different. So don't let frustration stop you from embracing yourself."

I nodded and sighed. I stood up, "What am I learning next?" She gave me a smile and began teaching again.

Lesson 6: Learning More About Witches and How to Embrace Yourself  
(Hint: It's very surprising)

———————————————————————

It was later in the day. I had finished my lesson with Bonnie's Grams an hour ago. I was at the store, picking up some food, necessities, and a job application.

I need a car, but I need the money and in order to get the money I need a job. See how this works?

I was pushing the shopping cart to the ice cream aisle, looking for a tub of my favorite kind. I was about to open the freezer when I felt a gust of wind behind me.

I quickly turned around, only to bump into Damon, of all people. His cologne jumping off his black shirt when my nose made contact.

I backed up into my shopping cart, heat rising to my cheeks when he looked down at me, his signature smirk on his face. 

"Hey, beautiful. Long time no see," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, long time," I looked away from him, starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Seems like you've been ignoring me." I suddenly felt more nervous. I shifted from foot to foot and avoided all eye contact with him.

"I know who you are." I blurted out before my eyes widened with shock.

That's right folks, I'm officially crazy. Why would I say that?! I'm questioning if I should check myself into a sanitarium for the crazy.

He cocks his eyebrow and takes a step forward, "Hmm, what do you mean?"

I shook my head and straightened up, "It's nothing, really. Just having a weird day."

"I should go, don't want my ice cream to melt," I say, trying to find an excuse to leave.

He took a step towards me, trapping me in between him and the shopping cart, "What is it?"

I sighed and looked up to him. We made eye contact and I braced myself for anything that might happen once I said what I had to say.

"I saw you," I say as one of his eyebrows raises, "with Caroline."

"I know, we saw you, too." I look away before continuing, "No, I saw what you did to her." I took a deep breath, "I saw what you are. I saw you hurt her."

He makes a groaning sound and turns around. I hear him sigh and the only thing I can do is stand there in fear. He turns back around and puts his hands on my cheeks.

Even though I'm scared, his cold hands are comforting to me. Maybe it's because he's devilishly handsome or because he's stroking my cheeks with his thumbs.

He locks eyes with me and I instantly know what he's trying to do. He's trying to make me forget. Bonnie's Grams told me about that one day.

"You didn't see anything that day." His pupils dilate, "You saw me kissing her neck, not biting her."

I stare back at him, making my face stern—at least attempting to. "It's not going to work on me." I subconsciously fiddle with my charm bracelet.

His eyebrows furrow as he tries to do it again. He sighs once he realizes I'm protected from his mind control.

He slides his hands from my cheeks down to my shoulders, leaving goosebumps in his wake. My face grew warm when his thumbs slid up and down the bottom of my neck.

"Damon," He turns his attention back to me, "Are you going to hurt me?"

His jaw locks and he looks away from me. My heart was pounding and all I could do was stare at him. His blue eyes looked cold and dark and suddenly I was scared.

He turns back to me and moves around me, mumbling, "I don't want to." I stand there, looking stupid until he turns around and looks at me over his shoulder.

"Let's go," he says as he grabs my shopping cart and pushes it to check out. I follow behind him, not knowing what else to do.

Once we reach check out, the cashier turns to me as Damon loads my few groceries onto the conveyor belt. The cashier smiles at me and I can't help but think of how cute he was.

He rang up the items and the total price popped up on the electronic screen in front of me. I pull out my wallet from my jacket pocket and hand the money to him.

During the exchange, both of our hands brushed against each other and we both smiled. A cough from the right of me interrupted the little moment.

The boy, whose name tag read Blake, looked to Damon and seemed threatened by him. It wasn't until I looked at Damon that I saw he was glaring at Blake. I nudged him with my elbow and sent him a look.

Damon smirked and grabbed my bags before walking near the exit. I turn back to Blake, "Sorry, I don't know why he acts like that."

He waved me off, "Don't worry about it." I smiled at him and made my way to the door. I turned around and waved before walking out.

I saw Damon putting my bags in his car. "Woah, what are you doing?!" I say as I rush over to him.

He sighs—geez, he sure does that a lot. He takes my other bags from my hands, "You want answers, right?"

I rub the back of my neck, "Well, yeah, but..."

"But what?" He walks over to the driver's side, "If you want answers, get in."

This should be interesting...

———————————————————————

We stopped by my house to drop off my groceries and while he wasn't looking, I grabbed a knife. I know it's not the best protection against a possible vampire, but it's the best I got.

The car ride here was uncomfortably silent. We were standing in his living room now; him grabbing a bottle of bourbon and pouring himself a glass and me standing the closest I could to the door with the knife in the inside pocket of my jacket.

He turns to me and takes a swig of the drink, looking relieved after. "You might want some of this after some of the things I'm gonna tell you."

I shook my head, "No thanks. I'm a big girl, I can handle myself. Now talk."

"I love it when you boss me around." I scoff and cross my arms. He laughs at my reaction, "What? I'm just having some fun." He turns his gaze to me, "Plus, you're cute when you're angry."

"Whatever, Damon. Start talking," I say ready to find out the truth.

He smirked, "Okay darling. You might wanna sit down, this is gonna be a long story."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what'd you think? let me know - much love, Diamond xx


	11. Curiosity Killed the Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Curiouser and curiouser... Cats only have 9 lives, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovelies. enjoy!

I leaned back into the chair I was sitting in, a shocked expression on my face. I just sat there, not knowing what to say.

Because after hearing what I just heard, you would've done the same thing. Wow, just wow.

You're probably confused, right? Let's go back to an hour ago when Damon started explaining everything. Well obviously not everything, but enough to make question everything I thought I knew.

**————About an hour ago————**

"Damon, start talking or I'm leaving," I said, crossing my arms over my chest and making a stern facial expression.

I was trying to be bossy but stopped when he started laughing. I sighed, turned around, and started walking to the front door.

"Wait," I stopped in my tracks, not turning around just yet. "I'll talk, just come sit down."

"I thought so," I said as I turned around and started walking back.

I sat down in the chair closest to me and sat on the edge, not getting too comfortable in case I had to run away. What? I don't trust him completely yet. Or at all, really.

Damon poured himself another serving of his bourbon and brought the bottle back with him when he sat down.

"It all started in 1839, the year I was born." He began, looking distant as if having a flashback.

"Wait, a second?" He looks to me, "you're saying you were born in the 19th century?"

He nodded and I mumble to myself quietly, "That means he's over a century and a half years old."

"Yep, 170 years old," he says, making me look up to him in shock.

"How'd you hear that? I didn't say that loud enough," I ask in confusion. How would he have heard me? I was basically whispering.

He chuckled and pointed to his right ear, "People like me have really good hearing, but I'll explain that later," he says after seeing the confusion on my face.

"Anyways," he continued as waving his free hand around. "I had a pretty normal life back then."

"Until I met her," he looks off to the side, distantly as if having a flashback.

**\----3rd Person POV----**   
_ Mystic Falls, 1864 _

_Damon had just come back from serving his time in the war. When he came back to his hometown, the one thing he was happy about was to see his brother, Stefan._

_Luckily for Damon, he not only received his brother when he returned but a beautiful orphan that went by the name of Katherine Pierce._

————

_Katherine emerged from the open door with her handmaiden by her side. She watched with a smile on her face as they tossed the ball back and forth to each, tousling around._

_She interrupted their fun, "Who needs rules?" Her dress swayed with each step forward she took on the back porch._

_The two boys halted their actions and stared at the beauty, giving her their full attention. They came closer to her as she descended down the stairs, holding her dress up, "Mind if I join you?"_

_Stefan, out of breath, walked to her, "Uh, well, you could, uh—you could get hurt." Damon walked off to the side, eyes tracking Katherine the entire time._

_Stefan gestured to Damon, "My brother likes to play rough." She laughed and stared at Damon, a grin coming across her face._

_She turns back to Stefan, "Somehow, I think you play rougher," she steps toward him and snatched the ball away, laughing while running away, waiting for him to chase after her._

_Stefan stared after her when Damon spoke up, "Why are you standing there?" His brother looked to him, "That is a girl who clearly wants to be chased."_

_Damon looked in the direction the girl ran before looking back to his brother, "If you don't do it, I will," he said before taking off running after her, Stefan soon following after._

_As the weeks went on, Katherine Pierce has the two brothers following behind her like lost puppies but fighting like pit bulls when it came to her affection._

**_————_ ** **3rd Person POV** **_————_ **   
_ Mystic Falls, Present Tense _

The two sat in their seats. The girl, Y/N, looked conflicted. She opened her mouth to speak before closing it. She was at a loss for words.

The man, Damon spoke instead, "Well, you see, Katherine wasn't the girl we thought she was."

Y/N began to speak, "So, who was she?" She was on the edge of her seat, waiting to know the mystery of the woman named Katherine.

"What my brother and I didn't know at the time was Katherine was using mind compulsion to make us not be afraid of her and to keep her secret from everyone, even each other," Damon said before grabbing the bottle of bourbon and drinking from it.

**————1st Person POV————**

"So neither of you knew that she wanted you   
both?" He shook his head. I continued with the questions, "How did you know that she was compelling you?"

He shifted in his chair, "Well, once someone is a vampire, this is either during or after their transition-"

I cut him off, "What do mean 'transition'?" I lean forward some, "I thought once you died with vampire blood in your system, you were automatically a vampire."

"Not exactly. When you come back, you have two options, well technically three."

He held up his index finger, "You can decide not to be a vampire and perish." He held up his middle finger, "You can decide to be a vampire and drink human blood."

"So, what's the third?" I ask, curious. Maybe I shouldn't be too curious, you know, with curiosity killing the cat. Down to 8 lives.

"Once you fed off a human, you can feed off animals like my sweet brother, Stephy." He drinks from the bottle, slightly wincing, "He wasn't always like that though." He mumbles under his breath.

"So that's what can happen when or if you decide to transition..." I trailed off thinking of this new information.

"Anyways, back to what I saying earlier, once you come back, you'll remember bits and pieces of when you were compelled. And once you're transition, you'll remember everything."

I raised my index finger in the air, "I have a question."

He turns to me and chuckles, "You seem to be full of those today. What is it?"

"Can vampires compel other vampires?" I ask, noting that I'm down to 7 lives now.

"Nope, but we can compel humans." He says flashing me a quick smirk.

"So, earlier, that's what you were trying to do?" That makes more sense now, I don't even know why it didn't work on me, I just knew it wouldn't. Down to 6 lives—I better stop before I'm all out.

He nods, "Actually, I was wondering why it didn't work. I just guessed you had vervain in your system."

When my eyebrow raises, he explains, "All that crap about vampires and garlic, holy water, crucifixes—it's all fake."

"What about entering someone's house?" Geez, Y/N, really suicidal aren't you?

"Now that is true, we have to be invited in by whoever lives there, otherwise we can't come in."

I nod my head and wave my hand for him to continue, "Vervain is dangerous to vampires." He leans back in his chair, "If a human has it in their system, you can't compel them and if you feed on them, you'll wish you hadn't."

"Another question," I must have a death wish, "How did you die?" 4 down, 5 left.

"It's a funny story actually," he laughs turning his attention away from his bourbon and back to me, "My father and the men of the town found out about Katherine and some other vampires from a... source I will not name."

"So one night, they came for her and everyone else, so when Stefan and I found out about this, we tried to help." He games a sharp inhale, "When my father discovered our betrayal, he..." he lets out a dark chuckle, "well, he shot us both."

"Wow, just wow." I run my hand across my face, shocked. I look up to see him staring at me, "It's ironic, isn't it?"

3 left, I'm treading on thin ice right now.

"What do you mean?" He asks, eyebrows raised.

"One of the people who brought you into this world was the same one who took you out of it," I said quietly. Even though that wasn't a question, I'm at 2 lives.

Damon nods his head before tilting it, "I guess so." He leaned forward, "Have any other questions?"

My head nods against my wishes, "Actually yes, I do." I clear my throat and sit closer to the edge of the chair.

"Are you going to hurt me? Know that I know everything?" I try my hardest to keep my eyes on him.

He stood and I felt like my heart was pounding out of my chest. When he started walking towards me, I sat closer to the edge of the chair.

Once he reached me, he squinted his eyes at me before reaching out and placing his hands on the sides of my face.

He sighs, "I could if I wanted to, but..." he trails off, leaving me with heavy breathing and wide eyes.

"But what?" I ask as he places his hands onto my shoulders.

"But, I don't know if I should." He stands up fully, removing his hands, "You see, I could erase your memory, but seeing as how it didn't work earlier, it's not going to work now."

He paced back and forth before stopping and slowly turning back to me, "I could let you go or I could just kill you," he said with a smirk.

"I wouldn't tell anyone, you have my word. I would keep my shout shut and forget you ever told me anything." I say standing up quickly, my heart racing.

"Hmm..." he moves out out my way, "Go then."

I don't hesitate a second before quickly making my way over to the front door. I turned my head and looked back to see if he was still standing there.

I was confused when I didn't see him until a hand touched my shoulder. I turned around only for Damon to be standing right in front of me.

A gasp left my mouth, "How did get there?"

He tilted his head and smirked, "Us vamps have a little something called super speed."

I back up some, panic starting to creep in. "Damon, what's going on?"

He steps forward, almost menacingly, "Calm Down."

I let out a shaky laugh, "Calm down? You want me to calm down?" I ask looking at him like he's ridiculous.

"Yes, I want you to calm the hell down," he says and I can't believe it.

"How am I going to calm down when some psychotic vampire is trying to kill me?!" I ask, incredulous.

"I'm not going to hurt you, idiot," he says coming forward to me.

Getting more scared, I reach into the inside of my jacket pocket and pull out the knife. I point it at Damon.

"Step back." He stops walking forward and rolls his eyes at me.

He leans on the wall, "You really think some knife is going to hurt me," he says as he stands back up.

"Damon, please. Just let me go," I plead as I step closer."

"Okay," he says, "You're free to go."

I shuffle around him, knife still in hand. When he steps me again, I panic and try to stab him.

"Jesus, calm down." I shake my head and try to stab him again. If I can just get him down, it'll be easy to get away.

Damon tried taking the knife away from me as he looks at me like I'm crazy. How am I the crazy one when he's trying to kill me?!

I lunge forward, trying to cut him somewhere, when he moves out the way, causing me to fall on the floor.

I let out a yell when a searing pain cane from my abdomen. I trailed my gaze down to see I had accidentally stabbed myself with my own knife.

I started hyperventilating, getting more scared when the blood began to seep through my jacket and shirt.

Damon knees down beside me and pulls out the knife. Tears are rolling down my face as I feel myself starting to get light-headed.

"Damon..." I whimper out. He punches the bridge of his nose, as he looks at me.

"I wasn't trying to hurt you, you idiot." He grabs my shoulders and sets me up against the wall.

"Am I going to die?" I ask, holding my hand to the wound.

"Not if I can help it. Let me help you. I can give you my blood," he says as he moves my hair out of my face.

I shake my head, "No..no, no." He gives me the 'what do you mean?' look. "If I let you...give me blood... you'll kill me and turn me into a monster like you."

He rolls his eyes, "Do you really think I'm that heartless?" He laughs as a smirk appears, "Actually, I may just be that heartless."

I coughed and leaned my head back against the wall. Damon sighed, "C'mon Y/N. Let me help you." He pointed to my stomach, "You could die."

I slowly shake my head, my eyelids starting to droop as if heavy weights were placed on top of them. He shakes me gently, "Hey, hey. Eyes open."

I watched as he raises his wrist to his mouth, biting into it before pulling away. He brought it up to my mouth, "It's okay."

I shook my head, mumbling as his blood went into my mouth and down my throat.

He looked up at the ceiling, "Drink up. Drink it up," he looked back down when I leaned up trying to get more, "Don't drip."

When I grabbed ahold of his arm, he sighed, "There you go. Good girl." He rested his chin on top of my head, "That's it."

————

It was dark. Light slowly appeared as my eyes fluttered open. I let out a groan as I looked around, trying to get my eyes adjusted to the light.

"Hello, Sleeping Beauty. Looks like you've come to the world of the living," he laughs, "or should I say dead?"

I raise my head, "Damon?" I ask groggily.

"Present," he says as he looks over to see me yawn as I sit up leaning against the headboard of the bed I was lying in.

I look around the room and notice a camera sitting on a desk in front of the bed. There are art supplies there as well. That's when I notice I'm in my room.

"How'd we get here?" I ask, looking over to Damon.

"Well, you passed out after I gave you my blood and I brought you back here," he says nonchalantly as he turns the page in whatever book he's reading.

I pull the cover off of my body and look down at my stomach. A small gasp leaves my mouth. What in the world?

"How?" I lift my shirt up and only see the dried blood. "It's gone, the cut—how?"

"Vampire blood can heal humans, obviously can't cure cancer, but it helps with sickness, cuts, etc," he says as he keeps reading the book.

I move my feet off to the side of the bed and get down. I stretch a little before walking over to my dresser. I pull out a long t-shirt and some shorts.

I reached down to the bottom of my shirt and was about to start pulling it off when a voice interrupted me, "Ooh, free show."

I turned around and tilted my head at Damon, "Haha, real funny."

He smirks at me, "What?" I walked up to him and slapped his arm. He only laughed at me. This man is infuriating.

"I wouldn't mind getting a free show..." he says as his hand slowly travels up my arm. "Especially if it were from you."

I cough and turn around, trying to fight back the heat, and the little smile creeping onto my face. "Yeah, in your dreams."

I grab my clothes and am about to walk out of my room to go to the bathroom when something stops me. I turn around and call his name.

He looks up at me, "How did you get in my house the other week?"

He puts the book in his lap, keeping his finger on the page, "Fun Fact: A vampire can't enter your house without your permission."

He smirks again, "Now, whenever I wanna come in, I don't need your permission."

My eyebrows furrow a little. Knowing Damon, he might take a sneak at my underwear drawer.

"Hmm, well I'm gonna go take a shower." I turn around and start walking to the bathroom.

He calls my name, getting my attention, "Also, don't make a habit of letting strangers inside of your house."

"Noted," I say as I'm about to enter the bathroom, "Oh, and Damon?" I turn around to see him looking at me.

"Don't even think about going in my underwear drawer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed. let me know what you think - much love, Diamond xx


	12. Just Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's the word when there's two people and only one is in love, while the other isn't? Oh, that's right--unrequited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiya, my lovelies. hope you enjoy this one!

I was sitting on a tree stump, which was surprisingly comfortable. I looked up as the leaves that were once on the ground rose up. They drifted around me in a funnel--colors of orange, yellow, and brown flashing around me.

I heard something that sounded like someone stepping on a tree branch. I dropped my hand down. Once the leaves fell to the ground, I looked around to see if someone else were there.

"You're getting better," someone said. I whipped my head into the direction of the speaker and found Bonnie leaning against the tree behind me.

I stood and laughed, "Jeez. Bonnie, you really know how to scare a girl."

"Sorry. My Grams figured you might be here and thought I'd come and see how you're doing," she said as she walked over to me.

Bonnie stands beside me, "Don't worry, by the way, your secret is safe with me." When she saw the confused look on my face, she continues, "My Grams told me about you--since we're friends and so I could keep an eye on you." I nodded my head when I remember her Grams saying that Bonnie and I were alike.

"I guess I have my own fairy godmother, but in witch form," I say making us both laugh. "Have you told anybody about it?" I asked as I grabbed one of the fallen leaves from a tree.

"I told Elena about it," once she saw the surprised look on my face she explained, "I mean, she's my best friend and I can trust her with just about anything."

I nodded my head, "I get what you mean, but it's not like I can go up to Jeremy and say 'Guess what? I'm a witch and I have powers!'"

She laughed at what I said, "I think if you wanted to, you could, but then again everyone reacts differently."

"Here, let me show you something. My Grams showed me how to do it recently, it's pretty cool," she said as she walked over to a pile of leaves and gathered some up in a circle. She closed her eyes and muttered a single word. Once she did, the circle of leaves caught on fire.

The flames danced around before dying down. I looked over to her, "Yeah, that was cool. You'll have to show me how to do that one day."

She nods, "Yeah, I've actually tried it out a couple of times," she says with her smile turning into a small smirk.

"Wait a minute, that was you?" I ask, thinking about what happened at the annual car wash the other day.

When she turns to me, she just shrugs her shoulders with the hint of a smile creeping up. A small gasp leaves my mouth as I turn to her shocked--realization hitting me, "It was you. I should've known."

I sit back down on the tree stump and think about what Bonnie did and everything else that happened that day. Pretty hectic if you ask me.

_\----Flashback----_   
_ Mystic Falls _   
_ Sexy Suds Car Wash _

_I woke up to the sound of the incessant beeping of my alarm clock. Groggily, I sat up and rubbed my eyes before swinging my arm out from underneath the blanket and reaching for the alarm clock. I turned it off and leaned back on the headboard, looking around my room._

_I sat there for 5 or so minutes before deciding that I should probably get up and get ready. I swung my feet off to the side of the bed and yawned as I stretched a little. I slipped my feet into my house shoes so I wouldn't have to feel the cold floor._

_Once I stretched, I padded my way out into the hallway, rubbing my eyes slightly as I walked into the bathroom. I went over to the cabinet and grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste. I started brushing my teeth over the sink, only running the water when I needed it._

_I used the bathroom and washed my hands before grabbing a washcloth and wiping the sleep off my face. I went back into my room and went over to my dresser. Today was the annual car wash at school and I promised Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline that I'd help much to my demise._

_I changed into shorts--no, they're not booty shorts--and a plain t-shirt. I sat down on my bed to slip my converse on. I grabbed my messenger bag from my table and put in a towel, my camera, and an extra pair of shoes. Caroline was adamant about me helping in some way, so I was supposed to be taking pictures since I'm pretty handy with my camera._

_I gathered my things and grabbed the house keys from off my dresser before leaving the house. I hopped onto my bike and made my way to the school. It felt good today; the sun was out warming my body and there was a slight cooling breeze. The sky was a nice shade of blue with very little clouds out._

_When I made it to the school, I saw signs that read 'Sexy Suds Car Wash' with bubbles and buckets filled with soapy water on them. After pulling my bike into the bike rack, I walked over to where people were entering and adjusted my bag on my shoulder. I saw Elena sitting at the table where people paid to get their cars washed. I walked up to her and she seemed happy to see me._

_"Hey, Y/N," she said as she looked over to me, "Reporting to duty, I see."_

_I nodded my head and laughed, "Yep, do you know where Caroline is? I gotta ask her something."_

_Just as she was about to respond, Caroline came up to us, bikini on and clipboard in hand and started listing things off to Elena, "No friend discounts. No freebies. No pay ya laters. We are not running a charity here. No, we are not."_

_"No, we are not," Elena says repeating what Caroline told her._

_Stefan comes up to Elena and says 'hi' to her. He turns to me and sends a warm smile and a wave--which seems to be our trademark when seeing each other. I sent him a small wave, still a little wary of him._

_She looked to Elena then to Stefan and lastly to me. She sighed and shook her head, "This event is called sexy suds, you know." I looked down at clothes, then to Elena's and Stefan's._

_Stefan looked to me and Elena, "Did we just get scolded?"_

_Elena replies, "And judged, yeah."_

_"Oh, and Y/N." I turn my attention to Caroline, "C'mon, we have to get you into a bikini."_

_The look on my face sent Elena and Stefan laughing, "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I asked, not wanting to be exposed like that._

_Caroline tilted her head and pursed her lips together, "That doesn't really scream sexy, now does it?"_

_She turns on her heels and starts to walk off and I say bye to Elena and Stefan before walking after her. She gives orders to some people before walking me into the school. She goes into her bag and fished around in it until pulling out something._

_She hands me a piece of fabric and when I lift it up I see it's a bikini. And boy, was it revealing._

_"Umm Caroline," she makes a humming sound, looking down at her phone, "You want me to wear_ **_this_ ** _?"_

_Caroline turns around and nods her head, "Yep, now go get dressed and come back out when you're done." I gape at her. "Goooo."_

_I turn around and head to the bathrooms. Once I make it inside, I go into an empty stall and trade the clothes I have on for the bikini she handed me. I was happy to see that it was a one-piece, but with cuts of shapes on the sides and the stomach area._

_I slipped on the flip flops I had packed in my bed. Feeling a little exposed, I put on the pair of shorts I had on earlier. I put my clothes into the bag and grabbed my camera. I placed it around my neck, letting it fall down with the strap._

_Once I felt the bathroom stall, I looked at myself in the mirror. The bathing suit was a little revealing on the chest area--it was showing a lot of cleavage._

_I rubbed my hands over my face, feeling a little embarrassed before making my way out back outside._

_I saw Matt and Bonnie washing a car together and made my way over to them. I set my bag off to the side, asking Elena is she could watch it for me._

_"Wow, that looks good on you," she said as she looked at what I saw wearing._

_I rubbed my hand up and down my arm and wrapped my other arm around my stomach, "I don't know," I said feeling a little self-conscious, "Do you think it's too much?"_

_She shook her head, "Nope, I think you look good. It shows off your-" she waved her hands around, "-assets."_

_I raised my eyebrow at her and laughed before making my way over to Bonnie and Matt. When Bonnie saw me, she smiled, "Caroline has you wearing that, doesn't she?" Upon seeing the look on my face, she knew that this was Caroline's idea._

_"Hey Y/N," Matt said as he smiled at me. I waved at him and looked away shyly when I noticed that he was staring at what I was wearing._

_Bonnie noticed this and sent me a look, wiggling her eyebrows up and down. I shook my head at her and rolled my eyes. This girl is something else._

_"Hey, do you mind if I get some shots of you guys? Caroline has me on camera duty, but I'm not quite sure why a bathing suit is required for the job," I say as I lift my camera up._

_Before they could answer, I raised my camera and snapped a few candid shots. I think it's always better if the person or people you're photographing doesn't know you're doing it--it's more natural that way. You get to see them being them._

_Matt laughed at me, "Hey," he said stretching out the 'y', "I thought you were supposed to count down."_

_I smirked from behind my camera, "It's better when you least expect it, Donovan."_

_He smiled at me and I turned my head, feeling my face heat up. I turned and took some photos of people washing a car. The sponges they were using were releasing soapy water as they cleaned the car._

_A car pulled up next to where we were standing. Tiki came up to us, a water hose and a bucket of soapy water in front of her. Bonnie told Tiki this car was hers to clean._

_Tiki seemed repulsed by the idea and made a face, "Why do I always get the homely ones?" she turned to the boy who was getting out of his car, "Just to be clear, your car's a P.O.S. I mean, we can wash it, but it's still a P.O.S."_

_I scoffed, wondering how some people could be so rude to others. Bonnie spoke up, obviously thinking the same thing I was, "You don't have to be rude."_

_Tiki fills the bucket with more water, "Rude is uglying up the road with that junk." Right after she said that, water splashed all over Tiki, soaking her._

_Tiki gasped and tried to turn off the water hose, "Whoa! What the hell?"_

_Bonnie and I look over at each other and burst out laughing, along with some other people. I guess what they say is true, karma is a bitch and she loves to get her revenge._

_Matt ran over to her and turned off the water hose, getting water on himself and on the car, "Wet and_ _Wild_ _, Tik."_

_I make my way around, getting photos and some videos of people washing cars--laughing while getting soap and water on themselves. I come back around to see Elena and Caroline talking. I catch their attention and get some pictures of them._

_Caroline turns to me and says, "Wait, you have to get my good side. Well, technically, all my sides are good, but this one is the best."_

_She poses and Elena just laughs, "Only you, Caroline."_

_Caroline turns around and glares at Elena, "What?" she turns back to me, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder and posing, "I'm ready."_

_I take some shots of her before handing her my camera so she could look at them. She flipped through and looked up at me, "These are great." She turns to Elena, "What did you need?"_

_"Yeah, we're out of towels and those shimmy things," Elena says and moves her hair off of her neck._

_"I'll go get some here," she turns around and starts to walk off. "Mind the money," she called over her shoulder before she entered the building._

_"Hey Elena," I said, waiting for her to turn her attention towards me._

_She turned around and looked up to me, "Yeah?"_

_"How's Jeremy doing? I haven't really spoken to him lately."_

_She takes money from someone_ _who_ _was leaving, "He's.. well he's being Jeremy. I think if he saw you, he might act better."_

_"Yeah, of course. I've just been pretty busy, but that's not really an excuse, "I sigh and sit down in the chair next to her, "I mean, honestly, the real reason is that I feel like ever since he and Vicky have started hanging out, we've been drifting apart."_

_"I know Jeremy can be difficult, but don't let anyone, especially not someone like Vicky, ruin your friendship." she placed her hand on my shoulder, "I know you and I just became friends, but I'm glad that Jeremy and I have you in our lives."_

_"Aww, Elena." I lean forward and give her a hug, "I'm glad I'm in your lives, too."_

_She smiles at me before turning around to take money from another customer. Once she's done, I get up and tell her that I'm going to get some more pictures since there were more vehicles coming in._

_I see Tiki walking up to Bonnie and approach them, "Hey, guys. Have either of you seen Caroline?"_

_Bonnie shakes her head. Tiki speaks up, turning my attention to her, "Caroline ditched, but I don't know where she went."_

_I nod and turn around when I notice someone staring at me. I see Stefan somewhat off to the side. When he notices me looking at him, he makes his way over._

_I fidget with the charm bracelet on my wrist, still feeling apprehensive around him. "Hey," he says as he steps towards me, hands in his jean pockets._

_"Hey," I was avoiding eye contact with him and the whole thing was starting to get awkward._

_"Look," he says finally getting me to look at him, "Do you want to grab lunch someday? I figured we could talk about whatever is making you avoid me."_

_I look away, "I'm not... avoiding you." I'm such a bad liar sometimes. The look on his face showed me that he knew I was lying. I was avoiding him, but he doesn't know why._

_I sigh, rubbing my hands over my face before adjusting my camera strap, "You're right. I have been avoided you, but probably not for the reasons you think."_

_Stefan nods his head, "Well, whatever the reason, maybe we can talk about it and figure out a solution. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to miss my friend."_

_I smile up at him, "I'm starting to miss you, too. How about I text you later with details?"_

_He nods his head, a small smile falling onto his somewhat serious face, "Yeah, I'd like that."_

_I turned around and saw Bonnie and Tiki talking. By the looks of it, whatever Tiki said to Bonnie pissed her off because Bonnie picked up a water hose and started putting water on the pavement. I didn't see that point in it because the pavement was getting wet from people washing the cars._

_All of a sudden, a straight line of fire replaced the water and headed straight for someone's car. Stefan and I turned to each other, shocked. The trail of fire leading to Tiki's car, the flames covering it._

_Tiki runs over to her car, shocked as well as everyone else. Stefan runs over to Bonnie, "Bonnie! Bonnie! Bonnie! Hey." That's when I noticed that she seems to be in some sort of trance._

_Bonnie snaps her head to Stefan looking around as if she didn't know what was going on, "What just happened?"_

_Stefan tilted his head a little, "You were in some kind of trance."_

_Bonnie turned to the car and back to Stefan, "Did_ **_I_ ** _do this?" Why would she think she did this? Did she?_

_Stefan and Bonnie mutter the rest of their conversation. I'm guessing how that no one could hear what they were talking about. I stare at them confused. What were they talking about?_

_Once the car wash started to die down, I decided to go home and get the pictures ready. I grabbed my messenger bag from where Elena was. As I was leaving, I saw her talking to her Aunt Jenna and Jenna's ex Logan Fell. I know that's her ex because Jeremy told me a while ago._

_I pull my bike out from the bike rack and kick the kickstand up. I swing my leg onto the other side of the bike and steady myself. I take off and start making my way home._

_\----_

_I'm sitting down on my bed going through the pictures and eating a pint of ice cream when the doorbell rings. I scrunch my face up wondering who would be at my house at night. Setting my camera down, ice cream still in hand, I make my way to the front door._

_I look out the peephole and see the back of someone's head. I immediately know who it is and unlock the door and open it._

_Jeremy turns around, "Hey Y/N. Can I come in?" I nod my head and open the door wide to let him enter._

_His hands are shoved into his jacket pocket and he smells like drugs, alcohol, and for some odd reason, leaves._

_"You hungry?" I ask as I make my way into the kitchen._

_He looks around, "Yeah, sure." I put my ice cream back in the freezer and put my spoon in the sink. I grab two water bottles out of the fridge and some chips._

_I turn to him, "C'mon." I gathered up the snacks and led him to the living room._

_We both sat down on the couch and I turned on the TV, letting what was already on play, "So, what's going on?"_

_He looks down and sighs. When he starts to fidget with his hands, I place mine on top of his, "Hey, talk to me. What's going on?"_

_Jeremy grabs a hold on my left hand, "You might be right about Vicky." He shakes his head, "God, I'm so stupid."_

_"Jeremy," he stays looking down, "Jeremy, look at me." He turns his attention to me, his brown eyes looking into mine._

_"You are not stupid, just because you care about somebody doesn't make you stupid," I say as he just shrugs his shoulders. "Now, what happened?"_

_"I don't know. One minute we were all good, and then boom-all of sudden she's getting mad and saying that if she wanted to feel like crap about herself then she would just be with Tyler," he says as his face starts to turn red from anger._

_"I just don't get it, you know. I'm nothing like Tyler Lockwood. I care about her and he doesn't. Why can't she just see that?!"_

_I sigh and bring my feet onto the couch, "I don't know Jer. Some people don't know how to react to someone treating them right when they're used to being treated wrong."_

_"I don't know.. maybe I should just give up. She obviously doesn't want me around," he says as he leans back onto the couch and closes his eyes._

_"No, no, no." he sits up and looks at me confused, "I know, as your best friend, I'm supposed to support your decisions and choices, but, honestly, if you really care about her don't give her up without a fight."_

_I grab one of the water bottles and hand it to him, which he opens and starts drinking from it. I drink from mine before setting it down on the coffee table. "And I could've been wrong. Vicky probably isn't as half bad as I thought she was."_

_"Yeah, but what's the point in fighting for someone who doesn't know what she wants." I just shrug my shoulders, not really knowing how to answer that._

_Jeremy looks at me weirdly before turning his body in my direction. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he leans forward and placed his hand on the side of my face._

_"Jeremy..." I said as I looked down, feeling my face heat up._

_He turned my face back to him, "Hey.." I looked back up to him. He looked down at me, "Can I, uh, do something?"_

_I already knew what he wanted to do, so I just nodded my head. The next thing I know is his lips are on mine. I lifted my hand up to his face as we kissed._

_I know it probably didn't mean anything to him, but while we kissed, I felt safe and was distracted from all of my problems. After a little bit, he pulled away from me and looked away, "I'm sorry. I don't know what I_ _was_ _thinking."_

_I grabbed his hand and stroked it with my thumb, "Don't be."_

_He coughs and looks away, rubbing the back of his neck, looking embarrassed._

_"Look, Jer. You don't have to feel weird about this. You needed comfort and I just happened to be here."_

_"You sure? I wasn't trying to make things awkward, it just happened," he said as he sighed._

_I bit my lip, trying to ignore the hurt that was seeping in. I mean, I knew this didn't mean anything to him, but still._

_"Yeah, of course. I know you care about Vicky still," I said attempting to keep the tears_ _,_ _that were trying to come out_ _,_ _at bay._

_When his phone buzzed, we both jumped a little at the noise. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the message. He turned to me, a slight frown on his face, "I would love to stay, but Jenna and Elena are wondering where I am."_

_I nodded my head, "Yeah. You should go. You know how they are when they get agitated."_

_I led him to the front door and we hugged before he opened the door. "Are you sure we're okay?" Before I could answer he said, "I just don't want something simple as a little kiss that didn't really mean anything to ruin our friendship."_

_I sent a small smile his way, "Of course. We're fine. Now get home. I will not be_ _a_ _part in you getting home even later than you already are."_

_Jeremy laughed, giving me a hug_ _,_ _and walking out the front door. He turned around and waved at me before turning around walking back home._

_Once he was out of sight, I closed and clocked the door, leaning against it. A few shaky breaths left my mouth as my eyes filled with tears._

_I let a few tears fall before wiping my face and making my way up to my room. I laid down on the bed and touched my lips with my fingertips, still feeling his on mine. Too bad it didn't mean anything to him, but it meant something to me._

_I sat up and grabbed my journal and a pen from my nightstand. I opened it to an empty page and began writing._

_\----_

_September 29, 2009_   
_Tuesday_

_Dear Journal,_

_The truth is that Jeremy and I have always been best friends, but this past year, we have gotten closer. I wanted to tell him how I felt at the beginning of the year, but with everything that happened with his parents, I didn't want to make things worse._

_I've been secretly hoping that he felt the same way about me as I did him, but tonight proved that he didn't. I would never be the type of girl, he'd be interested in. I'm just his best friend. Maybe he would like me the way I like him if I were_ **_different_ ** _, but I guess I'll never know. I'll be okay though. Some friendships are purely meant to be platonic._

_I still have to talk to Stefan and Damon about what happened at the Founder's Party, but for now, I think I'm going to sleep._

_Farewell, Journal_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what'd you think? let me know -- much love, Diamond xx


	13. Surprise, Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This town is just full of surprises, huh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovelies. hope you enjoy!

I was leaning against the pool table at the Grill. I checked the clock on the wall to see what time it was. I was in a trance by seeing the minute hand move as the second-hand moves around. I could hear the faintest tick of the clock among the chatter of people talking around me.

I'm snapped out of the trance when someone waves their hand in front of my face. I focus my gaze on who was in front of me and immediately know who it is because of their vest/cardigan.

"Hey, Bon."

"Hey, Y/N/N," Bonnie says as she leans forward and spins one of the balls on the pool table.

I look around confused, "Hey, I thought Elena was supposed to be with you."

The three of us had a plan to meet today to talk. I was the first to arrive because I was actually going to see if the Grill had any jobs available. Thankfully they did, so I filled out an application and I should have an answer in the next few days.

"Well, she was," she went over to the nearest table and sat down, "but Stefan told her he would explain why he's been MIA and acting weird."

I nod my head, wondering if Stefan was going to tell her about him and Damon being vampires. When I think about it, I remember that Stefan and I were going to talk later this week. Would I get my answers or would he deny what I knew to be true?

Someone came over to our table and took our orders. Bonnie and I started talking about witchy-woo things while waiting for our food.

"So..." she said as she leaned forward, so only I would be able to hear her. "Learned anything new?"

I nodded my head. This week had been pretty interesting because I figured out how to do some basic but fun spells.

The waiter came back to our table, drinks, and food with him. He set our drinks down first then our plates. I swear, I've never been more excited to eat food as I am now.

Bonnie saw my excitement and looked at me in shock for a second before bursting out laughing. "Oh my goodness. You are too much."

"Oh, I know," I say before digging into the food in front of me, closing my eyes at the taste.

Yeah...I should definitely get some help.

After a while, Bonnie and I finished our food and drinks. We sat there talking for a while before we decided to leave. On our way out, we saw Elena and Stefan sitting at a table outside the Grill and talking. In order to not disturb them, we went the opposite way of where they were. I wonder what they're talking about.

———

Bonnie drove us to her Grams' house after we left the Grill. Pulling into the driveway, she turned to me, her long dark hair moving with her. I wonder what new things we have to uncover today.

We made it inside and Bonnie's Grams asked us if we wanted any food, which we declined by saying we had just eaten. She still offered us some herbal tea and cookies.

Shelia (Grams) sat in front of us and handed us each a book. The books were the same copy of the original one. The cover page looked like it was written in Latin: Potestates a Natura.

"Powers Derived from Nature," I mumbled to myself.

Bonnie turned to me, "You can read that?" she asked incredulously.

"I... I don't know how I did that," I looked to the both of them, "I don't even know Latin."

Shelia spoke up, "Some witches have the ability to read and know things they've never seen before." She leans back and opens the book, "You could be one of them."

We flipped to the page she was on and I immediately began reading it out loud in Latin. How? I don't even know.

"Terra, Aer, Ignis, et Aqua," I said looking confused. I don't even know how I'm able to read this.

Shelia took a sip from her tea, "Earth, Air, Fire, and Water." She gestures to me and Bonnie, "This is what you'll be learning today."

Bonnie and I exchanged looks before turning back to her Grams.

Shelia got up and brought over two unlit candles. She placed one in front of me and the other in front of Bonnie. "Well, let's get to it."

After figuring out different ways to use fire and how to conjure it, I made my way home. Bonnie insisted on dropping me off, but I felt like a walk would help clear my head.

I'm hoping that Stefan will tell me the truth about who and what he is. Even though Damon told me everything, I feel like it would be better to hear it from Stefan. I just need to be sure I could trust them.

As I turned the corner to my street, I noticed a car in my driveway. I looked around to see if anything else seemed out of the ordinary.

I peeked inside the car, making my way up to the house. Nothing inside of it told me who it was or what they were doing here.

I slowly made my way to the front door and took a deep breath before pulling out my key, only to find it was open.

I pushed it open and walked inside, quietly. Grabbing the candle holder next to me on the table, I look around the house from where I stood.

"Who's there?" I called out, my voice shaky as I slowly walked forward, my hands holding the candle holder out in case someone tries to attack me.

I shake my head when I realize that if someone was here to kill me, they wouldn't answer. Good going, Y/N.

I round the corner to the living room, looking behind me. A voice makes me jump out of my skin as I turn around to see who the intruder was.

A woman stands in front of me, and I immediately swung forward the candle holder, not taking any chances.

"Rïsa!" The woman said while raising her hand, suddenly I couldn't put my arms down. I grunted and tried swinging down, but it didn't work.

"Y/N..." the woman said as I brought my gaze to her. I tilt my head to the side when I see her clothing style. It vaguely reminded me of someone I knew. That's when I remember, only one person would be in my house dressed like a hippie mixed with a fashion model.

"Aunt Lidia?"

She puts her hand down and my arms dropped. "Surprise, surprise."

I set down the candle holder, a smile coming across my face as I wrapped my arms around her. She returns the hug and kisses my forehead, "I've missed you kiddo."

We pull apart and I look at her in slight confusion, "I'm happy you're here and all, but why exactly are you _here_?"

Aunt Lidia makes her way over to the kitchen and I follow close behind her. She pulls out some containers from brown paper bags.

"I know haven't been here in a while, but there's something I need to tell you." She says, her voice heavy.

I nod as I sit down in one of the bar stools at the kitchen table. She passes me one of the containers and a drink. "I hope this is still your favorite."

I open the container to see my favorite food inside and flash her a warm smile, "Can't believe you remembered. Thank you."

We start to eat our food when something comes to mind. I stop eating and lift my head to her. "Aunt Lidia?" I ask, her attention drifting away from her food to me.

"What's up, kid?"

"So, earlier.." I start and she waves her hand for me to continue, the fringes on her jacket moving with her. "That thing you said to stop me from hitting you, how'd you do that?"

She sighs and sits up, ready to give me an explanation, "Well, I can do magic and-"

I cut her off, putting my drink down, "Is it a family thing because I can do it too."

She nods. I expect her to be happy or glad that I know what I am, but her expression is solemn.

"Look, kid, I have some explaining to do. It's part of the reason I'm back here," she says and I look at her, waiting for her to continue.

"There are some things about your parents' disappearance that you don't know about."

My eyebrows furrow in confusion as I listen to what she says. She opens her mouth to keep talking, but I quickly cut her off.

"So, you're telling me that you know something about my parents that you have yet to tell me?" I ask my voice going an octave higher as I sat there frustrated.

Her eyes widen at my outburst, "Not exactly." She says as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Then what?" I say, wanting her to get straight to the point instead of beating around the bush.

"Well, about two years before they went missing, your parents made me promise that I would always keep you safe."

"Safe? Safe from what?" I ask, confusion etched on my face.

"The council, " she says as if that's supposed to clear things up.

" _Who_ and _what_ is the council?"

"The council is the upper witches and warlocks of the coven your mom and dad were apart of."

I nod slowly, trying to wrap my head around the new information. "But what or who do I need protecting from?"

"Well, once you turn 18, you'll get this surge of power. Now, of course, you'd have to hone down on your spells and skills, but you'll be a powerful witch should you choose to be one."

"Okay.. but why would I need protecting?" This is starting to get confusing.

"Well, there are very few witches who are born into the coven that possess the ability."

"So, in other words, I'm special?" I ask, leaning back into my chair. That makes sense I guess. I've always been the odd one.

"Pretty much, yeah. The problem is that being that powerful attracts dangerous people."

My eyes widen slightly and I think she caught on to my reaction. She leans forward and places her warm hand on top of mine.

"Your parents could protect while they were here but they told me if they ever left, it was up to me to make sure nothing bad ever happened to you." She explains.

"Why did they leave if they could protect me? And how can you protect me if you're never here? And how would you know if people were dangerous to me or not?" I ramble on, about to ask more questions when she holds her pointer finger up to stop me.

"Breathe." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "I'm not sure why they left, but I'm sure it was for your protection. I can protect you because your parents and I put a protection spell on you when you were a baby."

"How did you know I was a special witch? And what happens if the spell is broken?" I ask, looking up at her for answers.

"Well, when you were born, you had two birthmarks. The special ones have the same birthmarks."

"What was it?"

"A crescent moon and a sun," she explains. Sensing I'm about to ask where they are, she grabs both of my wrists and turns them so my arms are facing up.

She points to my left palm, "Here is the crescent moon," then points to my right wrist, "Here is the sun."

My eyebrows furrow in confusion. How had I never noticed this?

I lightly trace over the sun and do the same to the moon. I drop my hand and look down at the food I had lost appetite for.

Tears prickled my eyes and I stopped myself from letting them fall. A sniffle came out and then another. I felt one tear slowly slide from my tear duct and roll onto my left cheek.

"Oh, honey," Aunt Lidia says as I raise my hand and quickly wipe the fallen tear away.

I don't meet her eyes, scared that when I do the dam will break free and I'll be a mess of tears and confusion.

"I'm fine," I force out with a shaky voice. I cough and gently rub my hands over my face to regain my composure.

"How 'bout we go for a drive? Might clear your head and I'll tell you more when you're ready." Lidia says trying to make me feel better. I can feel the pity vibrating off of her words, but don't say anything, just nod.

She puts up the food we left out and grabs her bag before placing it on her shoulder. She hands me mine and I put it on over my head.

We make our way to her car and hop in, her sitting in the driver's seat and me in the passenger seat. We, of course, buckled up. Safety is important, kids.

She looked behind her as she pulled out before driving. I don't know where we're going but just look out of the window, thinking.

Soft music plays from the speaker. The familiar lyrics bring a slight smile to my face.

_Can the child within my heart rise above?_   
_Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?_   
_Can I handle the seasons of my life?_

It's one of the songs my parents used to play. I remember one day when they were playing with me in the front yard of our house when the song came on from the radio.

My mom got up and turned the volume up before making her way back over to me and my dad. She and my dad start swaying to the beat, laughing and smiling. I remember pouting until my dad picked me up and we all danced together.

The sound of the car stopping brings me away from my memories. Aunt Lidia unbuckles her seat belt and leans back in her seat, pulling the key out of the ignition. I do the same with my own seatbelt and open the door.

She gets out and locks the doors. I look around to see we're at the strip where some stores are. She grabs my hand and pulls me into a clothing store. Mannequins in clothes on display, posing in different expressions.

I wander around the store, trying to see if anything catches my eye. A shining object gets my attention. I walked over to it and picked up a piece of a charm that went along with a charm bracelet.

It was a silver crescent moon with the other half if it missing. It almost looked like something was supposed to be connected to it like a puzzle. I looked down to my arms, my charm bracelet sliding down on my right arm.

I pick up the charm and hold it closely in my hand before looking up to find my Aunt Lidia. I almost laugh at how funny she looks-she has a concerned look on her face as she picks between two different pairs of shoes.

I see her let out an obvious sigh of distress before she picks up both pairs in her hands, turning her attention from one to the other. She shrugs and adds both of them to the small clothing basket she had on my arm.

I sit down on one of the benches near the dressing rooms after having tried on some clothes my aunt found for me. I was thumbing the crescent moon charm in my hand. I was snapped out of my trance-that seemed to be happening a lot lately.

My aunt's hands were waving in front of me as she called my name. I looked up to see a concerned look on her face. "You okay, hon?" She asks.

I nod and she gives me a skeptical look, "Really, Aunt Lidia, I'm fine."

She just nods and sighs, "You ready to go, kiddo?"

"Yep, are you done with your shopping extravaganza?" I say, teasing her, looking at the basket almost overflowing with clothes, shoes, and jewelry.

She narrows her eyes at me, " _Fashion_ is not to be taken lightly." She flips her hair over her shoulder, showing off the pretty necklace on her neck. "It takes...a certain amount of this and of that to be as fabulous as I am."

I snort, laughing at her response. Shaking my head, I stand up and gather the items up onto my arm. We walk to the cash register and place our items down. The woman starts scanning our items, putting them into purple bags.

"Lidia? Is that you?" an excited voice says from behind us. We both turn around and see Jenna walking towards us. Aunt Lidia lets out a dramatic gasp, "Oh my gosh. Jenna!" I nearly roll my eyes at how they're acting.

They hug and start talking. I zone out during most of their conversation, it was mostly just catching up. I look up when I hear my name, "Yeah, you and Y/N should come over for dinner tomorrow."

Aunt Lidia turns to me to see if I was okay with it and I nodded, shifting from one foot to the other. I hope things won't be weird between me and Jeremy.

After a few minutes, we leave the store, bags in hand. She unlocks the doors and we throw the bags in the backseat. We say our goodbyes to Jenna before making our way back home.

———

When we made it home, Aunt Lidia cooked, well, attempted to, our dinner. After eating, we talked a little before going to sleep.

When morning came, I woke up and headed downstairs. I figured she was still asleep so I decided to make some pancakes and eggs. I mixed the batter and poured it into the sizzling pan on the stove. I flipped the pancakes and once they were done, I put them on a plate. Then I beat the eggs and poured them into another pan, and scrambled them.

I turned the stove off and pulled out some orange juice from the fridge and two cups from the counter. I set them on the take before making my way to the guest room to wake my Aunt up, but she wasn't there. I made my way back to the kitchen to see her sitting in a chair, levitating a plate over to her.

"Can you show me how to do that?" I ask, fascinated.

The plate drops to the floor in a loud crash, shattering upon impact. A gasp leaves her mouth as she turns around, mouth in an 'o' shape. She narrows her eyes at me, "Geez! You scared me, kid."

I grimace and shrug a little, "Sorry," I grab the nearby broom and make my way over to the mess, cleaning it up. I put the broken pieces of the plate into a plastic bag, tied it up, and threw it in the trash can.

She gets up and brings over two plates for both of us. "You know," she starts, "Learning how to levitate objects isn't so hard to do if you have the right mindset."

We load pancakes and eggs onto our plates and pour orange juice in the cups. I look around for the syrup and find it sitting on the counter on the other side of where we were. I sigh, comfortable in my seat, and not wanting to get up.

"Try levitating it over here," Aunt Lidia says as she sips from her cup. The orange liquid sloshing around when she sets it down.

I lift my hand out towards the syrup and try to concentrate on moving it over to me. I doubt this will even work. I mean, it's not like I've been practicing or anything.

I let out a sigh, "This isn't working and I'm just ready to eat my pancakes." I go over and pick up the syrup and open it, pouring it over my pancakes when I make it back to my seat.

Aunt Lidia takes the syrup from me, "You know, kid, you're never going to learn new things with that attitude." I look over to her and was about to defend myself when she holds a finger up, shushing me. "I know things are tough and this whole thing is new to you, but if you want to learn new magic and be able to hone on your powers, you have to be patient and willing to make mistakes."

I look down at my plate and think about what she said. She's right and I felt silly for giving up so easily. I start to eat my food but pause to drink some orange juice. "From now on, I'll try to be positive about learning magic, okay?"

She nods and we make small talk while eating our breakfast, which might I say was very, very good. The rest of the day was pretty normal. Aunt Lidia taught me about different types of magic and gave me some advice about boys. Why? I have no clue whatsoever.

———

We're standing on the porch of the Gilbert residence. I'm starting to feel a little hesitant to go in because of the kiss between me and Jeremy a couple of days ago. I found out two things after we kissed: 1. I definitely have romantic feelings for him and 2. He doesn't feel the same about him (I mean, he flat out said it didn't mean anything to me.).

My thoughts are cut short when the front door opens to reveal Jenna. She welcomes us in and gives my aunt a hug. They link arms with each other and start gossiping about lord knows what as we made our way to the kitchen.

As we enter the kitchen area, the aroma of spaghetti hit my nostrils and my mouth waters. I shake my head and turned around to see Elena grabbing some sweet tea out of their refrigerator. When Elena heard us enter she turned around, her long, brown hair swaying with her.

She sends a smile as she makes her way over to us. "Lidia, hi! it's so good to see you." With Jenna and my Aunt Lidia practically being best friends, we were around the Gilbert resident quite often. This is how Jeremy and I became best friends. We both had a fondness of drawing and art growing up which gave us something to bond over. Speaking of Jeremy, where is he?

"Where's Jeremy?' I ask as we go to sit down at the dining table. Jenna brings around the platter of spaghetti and I so badly want to go ahead and eat, but that would be rude so I hold back.

Elena takes the seat across from me, "Um, I think he was with Vicky, but I'm not too sure." I felt my face fall a little-I was planning on finally having a normal, friendly time and tell him about me being a witch, but I guess my plans are ruined.

Judging by her reply, she must've seen the way I looked, "Or," she says directing my attention back to her, "He could just be out. You know, doing stuff?" She winces at what she said knowing it wasn't a good coverup and just sent me a close-lipped smile.

We fill our plates with the food on the table and I let out a little sigh of content when the first bite of spaghetti goes into my mouth. I dramatically put a hand over my chest and turn to Jenna, "This is so heavenly. I might just faint."

They all laugh at my playful antics and we get into a discussion of the adventures my Aunt Lidia had. She is quite the traveler. She went into great detail of the time she got trapped in a port-a-potty when she was at in renaissance fair. Apparently, the guy who found her is now her current boyfriend. When Jenna asked why she didn't bring him along on her trip, she said she just wanted to spend time with her niece (a.k.a. me-surprise, surprise). We both shared a knowing look and I sent her a grateful smile.

We finished our food a while ago and are now eating dessert. Jenna and Aunt Lidia both have a glass of wine in their hands while laughing and reminiscing. There was a knock on the door and we paused our conversation. Elena got up to see who it was and I wanted to peek around the corner to see who it was but didn't want to seem nosy.

I heard Elena talking to the person at the door. Jeremy poked his head in and sent a wave to us before turning to go up the stairs to, I can only assume, his room.

Wanting to talk to him about my witchy-woo powers, I excuse myself and head up the stairs. My hand slides up the staircase as I ascend up the stairs and make my way up to his room. I knock on the door and hear muffled 'come in' from the other side.

I open the door and slide in. Jeremy turns around and sends a smile my way, "Hey, Y/N. What's up?"

I shrug my shoulders, "Nothing, just wanted to talk to you." I take a step towards his desk where he sat. For some reason, I felt nervous. I guess that's normal. I mean, it's not every day that you tell your best friend that you're a witch.

He gestures for me to come over to him and I do exactly that. I cross the room and sit on top of his desk. I take a deep breath and turn to him, "There's something I have to tell you..."

His dark brows furrow as he waves his hand in a circular motion for me to continue. That's when it hits me. The smell. I scrunch my nose up and look at him with a pointed look, "Are you stoned?"

Jeremy rolls his eyes, a slight scoff leaving his mouth, "Why does that matter?"

"Why does it matter?" My voice starts to rise a little, "It matters because that's all you do nowadays. I get that what happened was terrible, but that doesn't mean you have to destroy yourself."

He stood up quickly, his chair almost falling back. He paces for a second before turning back to me, an angry expression on his face. "Just because you don't have your parents around doesn't mean that you understand a little of what I'm going through."

He did not just say that. But _those words_ came from his direction and from his mouth. I might not understand but that does mean I can't sympathize.

" _Seriously_?!" I breathed out, trying to keep any angry words from spilling out, but at this point, I think we're both past that. "I'm sorry that I care about you. Who would've known it was a crime?"

I get off the desk and look him in the eyes. The once warm, brown eyes I used to find comfort in were slightly darker and filled with anger. But what in the hell did he have to be angry for?

"You're not my girlfriend, Y/N. So why are you acting like it?"

His words make me stop and I crossed my arms over my chest defensively, "I know I'm not your girlfriend, but I'm still your friend." I paused for a second and looked off to the side, "You can't possibly be mad at me for not wanting you to be self-destructive."

"Is this about Vicky?" Before I even have a chance to defend myself he continues, "Of course it is. You said you'd give her a chance but now you're acting like you're jealous."

A scoff leaves my mouth. I chuckle a little before turning back to him, "Jealous? Do you think I'm jealous of Vicky? Rest assured, I'm not. If I were you I'd be happy that you have people on your side."

He opens his mouth but closes it when I step forward, "And if I remember correctly, you're the one who came to my house in the middle of the night, complaining about how you didn't understand why Vicky would want to be around Tyler than you. So-"

He cuts me off, realization hitting him, "Oh..." I raise an eyebrow, confused. He continues, taking a step towards me. I want to back up, but I stood my ground. "Is this because of the kiss?"

My breath gets caught in my throat. Deep down, I knew what he said was true but I just shook my head, not wanting him to know how I truly felt. "What? Of course not." I visibly wince at my horrible, very horrible coverup.

Jeremy shakes his head and sighs, "You said it didn't mean anything to you." I look down, knowing if I looked at him, I would start crying from embarrassment.

When I don't say anything, he tells me to look at him. I hesitantly raise my head, my gaze landing on him. He takes a deep breath while running his hand through his hair and I already know what he's about to say.

"It didn't mean anything," I tell him. "It didn't mean anything to either of us, okay?"

"Y/N..." he starts, but I quickly cut him off. "Jer, it's fine, really. The kiss meant nothing. It was platonic. There were no feelings behind it."

I tell him that to salvage what little friendship we had left. I could get over my feelings for him, but I couldn't imagine losing him as a friend.

"Sorry for barging in here like that." I turned around, about to make a straight bee-line to the door when his voice stops me.

"What did you have to tell me?" With my hand on his doorknob, I turn around, flashing him a quick smile before opening the door, "It's nothing important. We'll talk about it later." With that, I closed the door behind me before making my way back downstairs.

My aunt must've seen the look on my face because she sent me a sympathetic smile. We said our goodbyes before driving home in silence. When we got there, she parked and tried to get me to talk to her which resulted in me bawling my eyes out in the driveway of my house.

Guess this year has been full of surprises, huh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... let me know what you guys think and i hope you enjoyed -- Diamond xx


	14. Scary Day...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day full of explanations, scares, and being caught...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovelies. enjoy!

_October 30, 2009_

_Friday_

_Dear Journal,_

_The past couple of days with my Aunt Lidia have been great. It's been nice having family_ _here_ _with me. She helped me learn new magic which I had some difficulty with. It almost feels like I have something blocking me. I know I have the ability to do magic, but it's like something is stopping me from unlocking my true powers._

_Tomorrow's Halloween and the school is hosting this big Halloween party. They have one every year, but I'm not a big fan of them or parties in general, so I usually just stay at home, binge-watching scary movies and eating junk food. I've always liked Halloween and not because it's "scary" or "dark". I think I like it because it's the one day of the year, where you can truly be yourself and not have people judge, also it's just fun._

_I'm going to meet with Stefan tomorrow in the morning to talk to him about well, everything he hasn't told me. Hopefully, I see Damon there and no, I do not want to see him because I think he's attractive. I mean, don't get me wrong, he is, but I haven't talked to him in a while and I actually like our somewhat friendship. I've gotta go now though, Elena's picking me up in a few._

_Farewell, Journal._

\----

I yell a 'see you later' to my Aunt Lidia before making my way outside. I closed the door behind me and walked over to Elena's car. She was looking at something on her phone so I decided this would be the perfect time to scare her.

Sneaking up to her door, I made sure to keep my steps quiet. Once I made it to her door, I tapped quickly on her window with my index finger, a creepy smile on my face.

She jumped so far, I thought she would hit her head on the roof. I burst out laughing upon seeing the scared look on her face. She rolled down her window to say something but then started to laugh with me.

I walked around to the passenger door and opened it, sliding into the seat and closing the door. As I put my seatbelt, I turn to Elena with a smile on my face, "Got scared, huh?"

She turns to me with a fake glare before pulling the car out of the park and starting to drive us to school. "Yes. I thought you were going to attack me."

I laugh at her comment and lean back into the seat, looking out the window at the passing houses and trees. Her voice catches my attention.

"Sorry, what? I didn't hear what you said," I say, as I shift in my seat to face her.

"Oh, I said is everything okay with you and Jeremy?" We stop at a stop sign and she turns to me, "I'm only asking because when you and Lidia came over for dinner, I went upstairs to use the bathroom and when I passed by Jeremy's room, I heard yelling."

She starts driving again and I almost wince at the memory. 'Yeah, we're okay. It's just that I tried to tell him that I'm witch, weird right? and we got into an argument when I asked if he was high. Oh, and he almost found out that I like him more than a friend, but I assured him that there were no feelings behind our kiss even though I was lying.' This is what I want to say, but I don't.

"Yeah, we're fine. Just had a little disagreement about something," I say as I turn back in my seat, seeing the school a little in the distance. I can see the gears turning in her head as she tries to get me to open up and tell her what really happened, but she just lets it go with a simple 'okay' as she turns into the school and parks in the parking lot.

We get out and walk into the school, multiple people saying hey to Elena as we walk in the halls. When we get to our lockers, I see Bonnie and Caroline in front of Bonnie's locker talking. I get to my locker, which is just a few lockers down from theirs. I grab some books for my next few classes and kept the ones I didn't need until after lunch inside.

When I hear my name, I look up to see Caroline waving me over. I adjust my bag over my shoulders, twirling a pencil in my hand as I walk over to the three girls.

"Okay, so you're coming to the Halloween party tomorrow, right?" Caroline asks as she sways a bag in front of her.

"Oh, um, I hadn't planned on it. I'm probably just going to stay ho-" I stop talking when Caroline looks at me with a frown and a hand up.

Upon seeing my confused face, she lets out a sigh and looks up to the ceiling before back to me, "As a new friend of ours, you have to come." I was about to speak but was again stopped, "No ands, ifs, or buts about it. You're going and I have the perfect costume for you."

I shake my head and look to the other two girls for backup, "That's really sweet, Caroline, but I think I'm going to pass on your offer. Parties just...aren't my kind of scene, you know?"

She turns to Elena and Bonnie, "Convince her she has to go," before sighing and walking off. Elena sends me a sympathetic smile, "I know you don't want to go, but Caroline has a way of talking anyone into anything."

I let out a groan, "I'm not a party person. I've never even been to a party. Not to mention, I guarantee everything there is going to be spiked."

Bonnie laughs and I notice a witch costume in her hands and almost laugh at the irony. The only person who knew she was a witch was Elena, her Grams, and I. So the fact that Caroline gave her a witch costume was hilarious.

"I'm sure you'll find something to drink that isn't contaminated. Besides," she gestures with her hands a smile on her face, "not everything is spiked. You can't really spike the food."

I roll my eyes and shake my head. "Okay, okay. I'll think about it, but no guarantees that I'll choose to show. I'd much rather be at home in sweats and an oversized t-shirt watching scary movies and eating junk food."

They both laugh at my comment, but I was being dead serious. Funny, right? You know, dead. 'Cause Halloween has a part in death, but not really death. Okay, I'll stop. Totally not funny. Like at all.

The bell rings and I head to class. There are cobwebs and fake spiders decorating the classroom walls. I shook my head as I headed to my seat, ready to learn about some of the same things we learn _every. Freaking. Year._

The rest of the day goes normal besides some "scary pranks" from some immature kids. I gotta admit, it was kinda cute that they actually thought they could scare me or anyone else who didn't scream during the not scary parts in horror movies. Y'all know the people I'm talking about.

During lunch, I headed to the library to read about different types of witchcraft and how to channel your energy. Perfect for Halloween, right? I checked out two books. One that went over the different types of magic such as dark, light, etc. The other was an old book that had ancient spells in it and ways to conjure ones.

As the rest of the day went on, I formed a plan, but it would have to wait until I was in the secret and private confines of my house, preferably my room. I got home, courtesy to my aunt who, thankfully, had some business to attend to, so I would be home alone.

Once I got inside, I went about grabbing the needed materials for my plan. After they were all collected, I went up to my room. I set down the objects on the brown, rectangular table. I shrugged my backpack off of my shoulders, thankful that the heavy bag wasn't weighing me down anymore and the fact that we had no homework.

I closed my door before taking a seat in the wooden chair in front of the table. I spread out my materials; two candles in the middle and my books from the library. I grabbed one of the books, placing it in front of me and flipped to the page about pyrokinesis - the ability to conjure and control fire with the mind.

I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair, clearing my mind. Being a natural fire starter is rare, but not uncommon. I could always just teach myself, but that would take a while.

I opened my eyes and focused on the two candles in front of me. "Phasmatos insendia," I say and when nothing happens, I do it again.

After the third time, I let out a heavy sigh, maybe I'm not a natural like Bonnie. I was about to push away the candles so I read more about fire-starting when I smelled something burning. I turned around and saw a small part of my curtains on fire.

I quickly jumped up, grabbed a pillow from my bed, and swatted at the fire with it. Once the fire died down, I threw the pillow down and inspected the ashes on the floor.

"Did I do that?" I mumbled as I held up the charred curtain.

"Yeah, you did. Good going, kid," a voice said from behind me and I nearly jumped to the ceiling before quickly turning around. I saw my Aunt Lidia leaning on my door frame.

"Geez, Aunt Lidia. One of these days, you're going to give me a heart attack, " I said as I made my way over to her.

A laugh erupted from her mouth, "Not my fault you're so easy to scare."

I cross my arms over my chest, "I was not scared. You just surprised me is all."

"Mhm," she says unconvinced. She picks up one of the books from the table, "Really?"

I raise my eyebrow at her, "What?" I take the book from her and set it back down, "How else am I supposed to learn. It's not like we have books about magic laying around the house."

The look on her face tells me otherwise, "Or, do we?"

She doesn't say anything, just turns around and walks out of my room. I follow after her, confused. When she makes it to my parents' room, I stop near the doorway.

Sensing my hesitation, she places a hand on my shoulder, "It's okay." I nod my head, taking a deep breath of courage and stepping into the room with her. I look around and notice that everything is still the same. I haven't been in here in a while.

Sometimes, I think about what it would be like if they were still here. Would they still be together? Of course, they would. They loved each other so much. You could practically see the happiness in their eyes when they were with each other.

Maybe they could've taught me magic, helping me when I made mistakes and didn't think I'd do better. Maybe they would tell me about their coven or why I was a special one and what exactly did it mean. Maybe I wouldn't be so alone if they were here.

Sadly, even if I imagine multiple scenarios of them being here now, I would never really know. I would never really know because they're not here. I always wonder where they are. Are they living secretly in a small town much like this one? Or are they even alive? I wouldn't know, I have seen or heard from them in years. Did they even miss me?

My aunt's voice disrupted my thoughts. She got up from the floor and that's when I noticed that one of the floorboards was up and inside there were numerous little journals and thick books.

Bending down, I pick up one of the journals. It's a charcoal grey color and it has intricate designs on the front and back. I flip through the pages and end up on a journal entry from a couple of months before my parents disappeared.

\----

_11 November 2005_

_It's almost time. Y/FN (father's name), the others, and I are preparing for what might happen. The council doesn't know what we're up to. Hopefully, they never know._

_Y/FN and I are afraid as to what might happen to Y/N which is why we're putting a protection spell on her. She doesn't know it yet, but she is very powerful and I'm worried what the coven might try to do if we don't protect her._

_Y/N, if you're reading this, please know that your father and I did what we had to do to keep you safe even if it hurt you. I don't know what will happen to us or to you, but you must remember one thing: never let your guard down._

_If you're reading this now, it means we're already gone, but I'm not sure what condition we might be in. Your Aunt Lidia will explain everything to you if she hasn't already. There are other journals in the floorboards and books that you will need to read._

_We love you, darling,_

_Mom and Dad_

_Goodbye, Journal_

_\----_

I look up from the book as my vision blurs from the tears coming to my eyes. They didn't want to leave me, but they had to. What was so bad with the council or the coven that they had to abandon me?

I felt my face grow hot as I closed the journal. Why couldn't they take me with them? How was leaving me behind alone, protecting me? In my opinion, it seems like they were putting me in even more danger.

I shake my head, collecting myself. _C'mon, Y/N, they wouldn't just leave you unless they had no other choice...right?_

I can't think like that until I know the full truth. I'll get down to the bottom of all of this, but for right now I need to focus. Focus on my magic and weird things like vampires.

Speaking of vampires...my phone buzzes in my pocket. I look up to my aunt and see her raise an eyebrow at me. I pick it up and answer the phone without checking who the caller was.

"Hello," I say into the phone, waiting for the person on the other line to answer.

"Hey, Y/N. It's Stefan."

I furrow my brow and my aunt looks at me and mouthes 'who is it?' I hold a finger up, "Hey, Stefan. What's up?"

My aunt raises her eyebrow again almost suggestively and I roll my eyes. Of course, she would think something's going on between me and every guy I come in contact with.

"There are some things I need to tell you. I've...I've been putting it off for a while now, but I think it's time you know the truth," he says.

I nod my head when I remember that he can't see me. "Okay, do you still want to talk tomorrow?"

"Yes, if it's good for you.

"Yeah, it's good. In the morning?"

"Sure. Well, see you then."

"See you then."

With that, I hang up and see my aunt with a smirk plastered on her face, "So," she says stretching out the word, "Who's Stefan?"

I roll my eyes and set down the journal, "No one." I walk out of the room, needing to eat something, "He's just a friend."

"That you're meeting tomorrow."

"Yes, that I'm meeting tomorrow," she opens her mouth about to say something, but I cut her off, "And before you say anything, we're only meeting so that we can talk about something."

"Okay then," she says as she smiles and makes her way to the bathroom.

There is something wrong with that woman. Well, I guess there's something wrong with me too since I'm related to her. Ugh, genes.

\----

When morning comes, I get up and get dressed. I smile when I remember that it's Halloween. As I'm making my way downstairs, I remember one of my favorite Halloween moments.

_I was sitting down at the kitchen table, crying. My mom came down the stairs and saw me crying, "What's wrong, honey?"_

_Sniffling, I point to the wings that went to my costume. She picked up the wings and inspected them, "Are they broken?"_

_I nodded my head, "Jeremy accidentally tore them when we fell_ _when we were playing_ _. Now they're all ruined."_

_"Hey, now," my mom says as she wraps an arm around my shoulder. "It's okay, we can fix them."_

_My face brightens and I smile a little, "Really?"_

_She nods and grabs onto my hand, "Yes, we can do a little Halloween magic and patch this right up," she says as she wiggles her fingers around making me laugh._

_"See, first, we have to place our hands over the broken parts," we put our hands on top of the broken wings, "then, we concentrate really hard and take a breath in and out."_

_She removes her hands to allow me to do it by myself. I follow her instructions. I close my eyes to concentrate and take a deep breath in and then exhale. I feel a tingle in my fingertips and when it goes away I open my eyes and turn to her._

_She smiles at me, "Look."_

_I look at the colorful wings in front of me and let out a surprised gasp. Holding them up, I turn to my mom, "Look, momma, it worked."_

_"I told you. A little Halloween magic always fixes things right up."_

Now that I'm thinking back on it, it wasn't "Halloween magic", it was actual magic. I guess that she had tried showing me how to use it without telling me the truth. It makes me wonder how many other times we did something that was "magic."

I see a note from my aunt on the kitchen counter.

 _Hey, kiddo. I've gotta_ _run_ _some_ _errands. I'll be back later. Have fun with Stefan ;) - Aunt Lidia._

I roll my eyes and grab some strawberry yogurt from the refrigerator and cut up a banana. Grabbing a spoon, I sit down and eat the small breakfast. Once I'm done, I throw the container away and place my spoon in the sink.

I pick up one of the post-it notes from the counter and grab a pen. I write a quick note for my aunt, telling her that if I'm gone when she comes back, then I'm with Stefan. After I place the note on the corner, I grab my messenger bag from the back of the chair, swing it over my shoulder, and make my way out of the house.

I'm glad I chose to wear a light sweater since it was a tad bit cold outside. I hopped onto my bike and pushed up the kickstand, stabling my feet on the pedals before taking off.

As I ride my bike to Stefan's house-excuse me, mansion-I think about whether or not Damon will be there. We haven't talked in a while and it would be nice to see him.

I pass by houses decorated with cobwebs, fake spiders, small cemeteries with 'R.I.P.' on them. It's sort of funny. People will spend so much time and money on an event that only lasts a day (two if you count Hallow's Eve).

I'm content with just sitting on my couch and binging watching Halloween movies for the entire week. My favorites are the _Halloweentown movies, The Nightmare Before Christmas (even though it could be considered a Christmas movie),_ _The Corpse Bride_ _, and_ _the Scream movies_ _._ There are more, but those are the ones I used to watch with my parents and sometimes Jeremy.

Speaking of Jeremy, I wonder what he's up to today. We haven't talked all that much since that night. I hope we can get past what happened and just forget about it.

As the house-pardon, mansion-comes into view, I see Damon's car in the driveway and a smile comes across my face. Why am I smiling? I shake my head and put my bike down near the porch. I go to knock on the door, but, like the first time I came here, the door is unlocked and slightly opened. The door pushes forward and I peek my head around it before stepping into the house.

I look for Stefan as I wander around the house, making my way into the place where Damon and I were dancing around and having fun. I smile lightly at the memory before coming near the bookshelf, searching for _Call of the Wind_. When I see it, I raise my hand and close my eyes, willing the book to go into my open hand.

A smile of satisfaction comes across my face when I feel the weight of the book in my outstretched hand. That smile falls when I hear someone behind me let out a cough. Oops, looks like I got caught, red-handed, literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed this chapter! let me know what you think. bye, my lovelies, Diamond xx


	15. ...Even Scarier People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This day can't get scarier. Oh wait, it does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovelies. enjoy!

**TW: character death, mild cursing, mentions of sex**

\---

My body stilled when I heard the cough. I gripped the book in my hand and looked to the ceiling, hoping that whoever was there hadn't seen what I did.

Who am I kidding? They more than likely did. Pretty stupid of me to do magic where someone could see. Guess I better see who it was, no escaping this.

I turned and faced the opposite direction. Standing near the entryway was no one other than Damon. He was leaning against the side of the wall, his signature smirk plastered on his face.

I cleared my throat, "Damon, hey."

He walked over to me slowly, "Hello, Y/N." He looked down at the book in my hand, "Whatcha got there?"

I raised the book and waved him off my hand, "Oh, it's nothing. Just wanted to read a bit."

He grabbed a glass and picked up the bottle of bourbon. He turned back around, glass filled nearly halfway with the liquid.

"You want to know something weird?" He asked and I hesitantly nodded my head. "You see, I saw when you got the book."

Damon took a step towards me, and I took a step back. "Oh?" I asked, feigning curiosity.

"Yep," he took a sip from his glass, nose scrunching at the probably bitter taste. "What was weird was that you were nowhere near the book, yet," Step forward. Step back. "it still managed to get in your hand," he said, gesturing down to my hand with his free one.

I released a nervous laugh and looked off to the side before turning back to him, "You probably just saw wrong. Drinking in the morning does that to you."

He smirked, taking another step closer. I took one back. It was like he was baiting me, luring me into his trap. What the trap was, I didn't know.

"No. See, that's the problem," he stepped forward again and I stepped back, only to realize he had me trapped between him and the bookshelf. Smart guy. "I saw the book magically appear in your hand. I might drink in the morning, but trust me, I've developed a tolerance, so my vision wasn't even in the slightest bit hazy.

I sighed and looked up at him, determination set on my face as I tried to escape, "Look, Damon. I don't know what you're talking about, but I have to go find-"

I ceased my talking when the veins in his face bulged under his skin as they crept up to his blue eyes. The whites of his eyes were starting to turn red and fangs grew out of his mouth when he opened it.

Fear took over and I quickly yelled "rïsa" before shutting my eyes and hoping it worked. When I didn't feel or hear anything, I slowly opened my eyes. Damon was smirking at me, his face normal, but his body frozen in place. I waved my hands down and his body relaxed.

"I knew it," he said before taking a long sip of the brownish liquid. "I knew all I had to do was scare you a little and you would use your little witchy-woo powers."

I slapped his chest. This son of a- nope, not gonna finish that thought. "What the hell, Damon? So you think you can just go around and scaring me just to see if I have 'little witchy-woo powers'." I said, fuming.

"Well," he booped me on my nose, "It worked. Also, when you're mad, it's cute."

My nose scrunched up in frustration and I let out a heavy groan, "There is something wrong with you. Now please move, I need to go find Stefan."

He gasped and brought a hand to his chest, feigning hurt, "So you would rather spend time with my little brother than with me. You've broken my heart, Darlin'." He said, using an exaggerated southern accent.

"Well, I don't care. Now move," I stated as I attempted to squeeze past him. He stepped forward again, getting closer to me. When I realized we were so close that our chests were touching, I coughed, looking down, feeling heat travel to my face. "Damon, please just move."

"Why?" he grabbed hold of my chin and lifted my head. When his icy-blue eyes met mine, I wanted to look away, but at the same time, I didn't.

"Why is it that whenever you're around me, I can hear your heart pounding faster.. and faster?" Oh geez. Why is he asking that?

"I-" I shut my eyes for a second, trying to get my thoughts together. "I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Sure you don't," he paused and I looked up at him again, "I wonder what sort of thoughts run through your head."

My mouth fell open at his words. Is he implying what I think he is? Yes, I believe he is. I shook my head, "Oh, I don't know. Possibly that you're weird and psychotic."

His free hand reached up to my face, somewhat cold hands lightly brushing against my cheek. He toyed with a stray piece of hair, curling it around his finger.

"Well, I am, but those aren't the kind of thoughts I'm talking about." Yep. I was right. That's what he meant. The audacity this man has.

"You're ridiculous," I scoffed, pushing hard against his chest, annoyed and fed up with his actions. He smiled down at me as he set his hands on the bookshelf, entrapping me.

"I'm sorry, did I offend you," his blue eyes twinkled with mischief and all I wanted to do was wipe that stupid, smug look off his face. I rolled my eyes. He has some nerve. Damon leaned in closer to me and my eyes widened at the proximity.

"Geez! If you guys are gonna have sex, at least put up a sign or something," a voice said from behind Damon. I felt my face heat with embarrassment. We weren't even doing anything, but I still felt weird.

I peered over Damon's shoulder to see who it was. Vicki. Vicki Donovan. Goodness, does Damon sleep with every girl he can get?

"I don't. Well, unless they want me," Damon said. Did I say that out loud? Oops-

"Vicki, hey," I pushed Damon away from me, "We, um, weren't doing anything like that, like at all. Because that'd be weird and yeah." I nearly cringed at how awkward that sounded. Anxiety and nervousness make me ramble and not in a good way.

Vicki pursed her lips together, her skinny arms crossing over her vest-clad chest, "Oh, please. I can smell the sexual tension between you two."

My mouth fell open at her bluntness and to defend myself, but no words came out. I closed it and shook my head, regaining my train of thought.

"You've got it completely wrong. Nothing is going on between me," I turned around and pointed to Damon. He gave a little wave, a corner of his mouth upturned, "and him."

"I might be dead, but I'm not stupid," she stated simply, rolling her eyes while looking down at her nails. Does she seriously not- Wait, a minute. Did she say she was dead? Is she high? Maybe, it's stoner talk.

"Excuse me," she looked up at me, her green eyes meeting mine, "Did you just say you were dead?"

"Yeah, cool, right? I'm like a vampire now." Damon coughed and tugged on the collar of his black shirt. That's when I noticed his unbuttoned shirt; his toned chest on display. Toned? Why are you even looking? Get it together, Y/N.

"Okay, well, it was sort of an accident," She rolled her eyes again, "Stefan didn't want me to because being a vampire is 'bad' and blah blah blah, but the guy was just there and he was bleeding so..."

I blinked slowly, trying to digest this newly found information. She's a vampire? Vicki Donovan is a vampire. Am I just a blood bank for her? Oh, my goodness. That's why Stefan told me to come? So that's why Damon trapped me... he was stalling, more than likely waiting for her to find us.

A scared look must've been present on my face because Vicki laughed, throwing her head back slightly, "I'm not going to do anything to you, Y/N. Don't worry."

I nodded just as slowly as I had blinked earlier. I inched back a little and bumped into something firm. I looked behind and saw that I had bumped into Damon's chest. He looked down at him, pink lips curving up into a smirk, "She's not going to attack you. Calm down."

I scoffed at him. Why is it that he always knows what I'm thinking? Can he... read my mind or something? He probably can. Who knows at this point.

"I didn't think she was," I said, crossing my arms over my chest defensively and turned my body so that both of them were in my line of sight.

"Mmm, yeah, sure, anyways," Vicki said, bringing the attention back to her. Why does she need it? She already has the one person's, who I like in a complete non-friend kind of way, attention. And yes, I'm talking about Jeremy.

I bite the inside of my cheek as I look down at the floor. Why did I have to think of him? I always thought that falling for your best friend was a cliche, but it happened to me. Guess I'm not that different after all.

"Hey, what's going on?" a new voice sounded from the hallway. I looked up and saw Stefan rounding the corner and standing near the entryway. His forest green eyes darted from Vicki to Damon then to me.

"Y/N," he said, stepping into the room, "I didn't know you were here." He sent a look to Damon while still talking to me, "Is everything okay?"

My gaze drifted between the two of them. Damon sent Stefan a smile, "Yep. Everything is just fine, brother."

Stefan only glared at Damon, as if Damon had tried to rip my head off. He could have, and I thought he would, but he didn't. Now that I'm thinking about it, they always seem to be feuding about something.

I shifted from foot to foot, feeling uncomfortable with the situation. I cleared my throat and suddenly both of the boys' attention was back to me. "I probably should've told you I was here, but everything's fine. Do you still want to talk?"

Stefan directed his attention to me, gaze softening, "It's no problem. Let's go."

I nodded and took a glance at Damon before following Stefan. It was as if he already knew what my intentions were. His face had its signature smirk plastered on it as he brought his cup up to his pink lips. He tauntingly wiggled his fingers at me and I quickly turned around, being caught by him for the umpteenth time today embarrassing me.

I shook my head and followed at Stefan before a cold hand grabbing on my wrist stopped me. I looked up. It was Vicki.

"How's Jeremy doing?" she asked, brushing her hair off her shoulder, "I haven't been able to talk to him lately because of the whole vampire thing."

I tried not to make a weird face or cringe when I thought back to our fight. It seemed as though, no matter how many times I attempted to get him out of my head, someone was there to remind me.

"He's- uh, fine. We haven't been talking much either," I said, trying to escape the conversation. I looked over to Stefan and saw him standing in the hall, waiting for Vicki and I's conversation to be over.

"Really?" she asked, confusion covering her features-one of her eyebrows was cocked slightly, her head tilted and arms crossed over her chest. "That's weird. You know, I used to think you had a thing for him because of how close you two were."

I kept my face neutral, not wanting to let her know the truth. "No, of course not. He's just my best friend, nothing more." Well, that's the biggest lie I've told all year.

She nodded her head, "Well, okay." I took that as my getaway and quickly met up with Stefan. We go through the house, towards the back. He opened the sliding door for me and closed it behind us.

Stefan's hands were in his pockets and there looked like there was a war brewing inside of him. I looked out over the expanse of land and the trees littered behind it. Turning to him, I crossed my arms over my chest, "So," I paused, "Are we going to talk?"

A breathy laugh escapes from him and I'm reminded of how much I miss our friendship. "Yeah, of course. Sorry."

"So," he started, finally turning to look at me, "I'm assuming you know. Well, I just figure you do because of Damon and Vicki."

I nodded my head, "Yes, I know. I had suspicions because of the football game when Coach Tanner was- uh," I shook my head to clear my mind of the gruesome like images.

He nodded in understanding. I leaned back onto the columns of stone, "Then, my suspicions were confirmed when I saw Damon bite Caroline at the Founder's Party. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me until you came up, grabbed Damon, and then just disappeared."

Stefan sighed, "I know that must've been confusing. I should've told you, but it's not the kind of thing you just go telling people." He looked down, "I'm sorry and I completely understand if you want to stop talking to me. I get that being friends with a vampire might be a tad bit too problematic."

I uncrossed my arms and placed a hand on his shoulder. When he looked at me, I said, "Stefan, I don't want us to not be friends. I just need to know that I can trust you. I need to know that you won't try to hurt or kill me."

"You can trust me," he said with a nod, almost as if he was reassuring the both of us.

"And," I started looking down, "while we're discussing supernatural things, I have something to tell you." He tilted his head in confusion, urging me to continue.

"Well, I'm a witch," I stated simply as if it was the most normal thing in the world. His dark brows furrowed, "Okay, then. Can I trust you? You won't put a crazy spell or hex on me?"

I laughed, forgetting how much I liked his jokes, "You can trust me. So friends?"

"Friends," he said with a little smile. Good, this is good. I wrapped my arms around his torso and his body stiffened before he relaxed and wrapped his arms around me.

My phone buzzed and we pulled away. I pulled it out of my back pocket and opened the message.

Aunt Lidia: _Hey, kiddo. I'm going to the stores to get some last_ _-minute_ _Halloween things. Wanna come?_

I texted her back: _Sure, just let_ _me_ _finish up with Stefan. I'll be home in a bit._

I put my phone back in my pocket and looked back up to Stefan, "Well, I have to go. Halloween duty calls."

He cracked a small smile, the corners of his eyes creasing slightly. "I'll see you later then?"

"Most definitely," I smiled before turning around and walking back into the house. I made my way to the front door and when I opened it, I saw Elena on the other side. "Hey."

She looked at me confused before realization hit her, "Do you know?" Elena asked. I nodded and she pursed her lips, "Guess we all know now."

"Yeah," I said, making my way to my bike. "Who would've known that the things we saw on TV and in books were true?"

After we finished talking, she headed inside and I was headed home. I was on my bike, pedaling home, the wind whipping me in the face.

When I made it home, my aunt was outside, sitting on the porch with a book in her hands. I pulled the bike up to the porch and cleared my throat to get her attention. She lifted her head, a smile gracing her features, "Hey, kiddo. You ready?"

"Yep, let's go."

\---

After my aunt and I got the Halloween decorations and the candy for the trick or treaters, we got set to decorating the lawn. There were fake graves and I rigged up one that would pop a skeleton when someone came up to the door.

The sun was starting to set and I could hear the little giggles from the kids as they went about, going door to door in their costumes. I was gathering the snacks for our little scary movie marathon.

I put down the drinks and junk food on the table in front of the couch. I turned around, looking for the remote to the TV when I suddenly got a flashback.

\---

_Jeremy looks at me weirdly before turning his body in my direction. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he leans forward and placed his hand on the side of my face._

_"Jeremy..." I said as I looked down, feeling my face heat up._

_He turned my face back to him, "Hey_ _._ _.." I looked back up to him. He looked down at me, "Can I, uh, do something?"_

_I already knew what he wanted to do, so I just nodded my head. The next thing I know is his lips are on mine. I lifted my hand up to his face as we kissed._

_\---_

I let out a sigh. I shouldn't have let him do that. If he hadn't, I wouldn't have to know that he had no feeling for me and we could've salvaged our friendship. I'm not saying it's over, but it's rocky right now.

The doorbell ringing distracts me from my thoughts. Aunt Lidia says that she'll get so I go back to looking for the remote. I got on my knees and looked under the couch, finding it almost immediately.

As I was getting back up, my aunt came back into the living room and plopped down on the couch beside me. I sat down and turned the TV on, ready for our movie marathon. We settled on watching Nightmare on Elm Street first.

Now and then, one of us had to get up to give the kids Halloween candy, but for the most part, we just sat there eating junk food and watching the movies. My aunt screamed when something jumped out of the screen, and I was laughing at her for 10 minutes straight. Who would've thought that she would scare so easily?

We were currently watching the first movie of the Final Destination series. My aunt looked over to me and said, "If this happened in real life, I would be scared shitless." which sent me into another fit of laughter.

The movie was coming to the end when the doorbell rang out into the somewhat quiet house. I was about to get up and see who was there until my aunt's hand was on my shoulder as she stood up, "I'll get it."

I nodded, not minding just sitting there. I heard her open the door and made attention to the movie. I wonder who is going to die next? It's like Russian Roulette, you never know when the bullet will hit you.

The credits were starting to roll when I noticed that my aunt hadn't come back yet. I stood up and made my way to the front of the house.

I nearly rolled my eyes when I saw who was holding her up at the door. I sighed and walked up to them, "Damon."

He flashed me a smile. I would be lying if I said my heart didn't skip a little at the action.

My aunt turned to me, a teasing tone to her words "Damon here was just telling me about how much he enjoys being your friend." I looked at him, a smirk tugging on the corners of his mouth. Goodness...

"Yeah," I sent Damon a stern look, "What are you doing here?" He leaned back against the doorframe, much like how he had earlier when he caught me.

"I need your help," he said and one of my eyebrows raised. Help? Help with what? Before I could reply, he continued, "There's a situation and I need to come with me to the Halloween party at the school."

I crossed my arms over my chest, "Why? Can't Stefan help you?" I did not want to go anywhere with him. Not now, not ever.

"Y/N, if your friend here needs help, you should help him," Aunt Lidia scolded and my jaw dropped. Did she seriously just defend him of all people?

"Aunt Lidia..." I muttered quietly, "I don't have a problem with helping him, but Damon can do things on his own," I gave him a pointed look, "Right?"

He sighed, "Well, I'll be going then. I don't want to hold you, two beautiful ladies, up."

I saw my aunt smile and let out an "oh, stop it." Like what in the world? Is this a book?

Damon was about to turn around when my aunt sent me a stern look before turning to him and saying in a sweet voice, "Y/N would love to help. Just wait a second."

I groaned internally. If only, if only she knew why I didn't want to be around him. Ugh, life has just not been in my favor lately.

So now I sat in Damon's car, a slight pout on my face as he drove us to the high school. I was looking out of the window, watching the little kids dressed up in their costumes. I remember being that young when nothing was hard. There were no vampires or witches unless it was in our imaginations. There was innocence, now there was none.

I shook my head before turning to Damon. "So what exactly do you need my help with?" I asked as I sat up straighter in my seat.

"Well, Vicki escaped." I sent him a weird look. Why does it matter if she escaped? "She doesn't know how to control herself, especially not around large groups of people. Her taking drugs makes the effects significantly more."

I released a sigh, "Right, so we have to find her before she goes on a tangent and starts drinking people's blood." He nodded and a thought came to mind. "Damon?"

He turned to me, blue eyes glistening from the street lights. "Why did you turn Vicki?" Damon looked away, eyes focusing on the road ahead, "She was complaining about how she hated her life and how she didn't understand why she was the way she was, so I figured I'd help her out a bit."

"By killing her?" I ask incredulously. What is wrong with him? Everything. That's the answer. His pink lips twitch in a smirk, "Well, being dead has its perks. There's a little switch you can flip that makes everything better and more fun."

"Why can't you just feel those things when you're alive?" He sighs, turning down a street and I can hear the music from the party in the distance.

"Well, when you're alive, you have to feel everything. Every moment of despair, sadness, regret, anger, it's all there. But, when you're dead, you don't have to feel those things. You can just... switch it off."

I could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke. Maybe he's not as bad as he seems. I know how stereotypical that sounds, you know, the bad guy having some deep reason why he is the way he is. But, just imagine how straining being alive for so long feels like. All those years, it must get pretty hard trying to stay sane.

As he pulled into an open parking spot, I turned to him, "Even though life gets hard, I wouldn't stop myself from feeling," he shot me a confused look, "The thing is, those feelings, those emotions, they're what shape us into who we are. It's..." I pause, unbuckling my seatbelt, "It's what makes us different."

He weirdly looked at me before opening his door and getting out without saying a word. Did I offend him? I was still sitting in the car when I noticed him walking away.

I quickly jumped out and followed after him. I squeezed past people in revealing costumes, drinking punch, well, not exactly punch. Everyone around me was laughing, talking, or trying to scare people.

I felt my breathing pick up as my vision is filled with colorful flashing lights and movement of bodies around me. I spun around in a circle, searching for Damon, but all I was met with was fake blood and people jumping out at me.

Panic was starting to set in, my body tensing as I looked around. A hand grabs a hold of mine and I try to pull away until I notice those ice blue eyes on me. I relax and allow him to pull my body out of the sea of people and into the fresh surface. I close my eyes for a second, his hand still on mine as I take a deep breath.

"You okay?" I look to see... concern? laced onto his features. I nod my head, sighing as I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a little panicky is all."

He sent me a wary look but didn't question me as he tugged me along somewhere. We came to a clearing and I could see Bonnie and Caroline ahead of us.

Damon, still having a hold on my hand, dragged us over to them. Caroline walked, not having seen us and Bonnie was still standing there with her pointy witch hat and long, blond wig. Damon reached into the pot, grabbing something out. Bonnie looked down to adjoined hands and raised an eyebrow at me. I quickly removed my hand from his and crossed my arms over my chest, sending her a sympathetic smile.

Damon looked around, "So where-where'd Caroline run off to?"

Bonnie glared at him, her eyes no longer having the soft, friendly look they did when she was talking to me, "Do yourself a favor, Damon, and don't ask me about Caroline."

Damon shook his head, looking down, "Oh, Bonnie. So loyal." I nudged him with my elbow giving him a look to knock it off. Why does he enjoy terrorizing people so much?

"Just stay away from her," Bonnie said. I looked around me when something caught my eye. Someone's drink had slipped and the liquid had formed into a crescent moon. Huh, that's weird.

I turned my attention back to the two when Damon asked Bonnie where she got her necklace from. Why would he be concerned about jewelry?

Bonnie clutched onto it possessively, "From a friend." That's when I remembered seeing Caroline with it a few times. Caroline must've given it to her for her costume.

Damon raised his eyebrows, "Caroline." I was right. "You know that's mine, don't you?"

Bonnie leaned in closer to him, her hat bobbing slightly, "Not anymore."

"Funny," he said, sarcasm rolling off his tongue. He snapped his fingers, holding his hand out, "I'd like it back please."

Bonnie shook her head, "I'm not giving it to you. I'll give it to Caroline and she can give it to you if she feels like it."

Does everyone have problems with Damon? Yes, I think they do. I think the only person who doesn't is my aunt and that's only because she thinks he's attractive, I mean he is, but that's not the point.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Or," he said, stretching it out, "I could just take it right now." He reached his hand out and grabbed a hold of the necklace. A sizzling sound came from it and his face contorted from the pain as he pulled his hand away.

The amber-colored jewel was glowing until it was resting comfortably against Bonnie's chest. I looked to Bonnie, trying to see if she had caused it, but the shocked look on her face told me otherwise.

Damon huffed as he looked down at his hand and back to Bonnie. She stared back at him before turning to me and then running off. He looked back down to his before staring at her retreating figure.

He turned to me, one of his dark brows raised, "What the hell was that?"

\---

Damon and I had been looking around the school for Vicki which was a much harder task that one would think. There were too many people and. The music, laughter, screams, and flashing lights weren't much help either. It made it 10 times harder to find anyone in the

Damon turned to me, "Did you hear that?" I raised an eyebrow, looking at him confused, "Hear what?"

He started walking off, "C'mon. I think I know where she is." I followed after him, and as we got closer to the destination, I could Jeremy yell at Vicki to stop. I started walking faster, not wanting Jeremy to get hurt.

We were at the back of the school and I saw Vicki throw Jeremy to the ground, making him knock into a bucket and wooden sticks. Elena started screaming when Vicki sank her fangs into her neck.

Stefan quickly ran over and shoved one of the fallen wooden sticks into Vicky's chest, her body freezing as a gasp left her mouth and her skin turned pale with veins creeping onto her face.

Her body dropped to the ground and I gasped. Is she dead? Damon looked back at me, my eyes wide and my hand covering my mouth in shock.

Oh. My. Gosh. I just watched somebody get killed. Oh my goodness.

Damon walked up to them and told Stefan would take care of her. Stefan nodded, glancing at my shocked face, before grabbing Elena and Jeremy and walking off with them.

Damon turned to me, a conflicted look on his face. He walked up to me and grabbed my chin, pushing it up so that he could see my face.

"Go wait in my car." When I didn't move, he tapped the side of my face lightly, "Hey, are you listening?"

I nodded my head, not saying a word. I mean, how could I when that just happened. His blue eyes searched over my face, making sure that I was, "Go. I'll be there in a little bit."

I closed my eyes, nodding before slowly turning around and making my way back to the front of the school. The noises of laughter, screams, and even the bright flashing lights didn't affect me. I made it Damon's car, opened the passenger door, and slid in.

Once the door was closed, I stared ahead blankly, not paying attention to the world around me. I don't know how long I sat there, numbly, but the sound of a door opening brought me back to reality.

I turned my head to see Damon sitting next to me before turning around and looking at the dashboard. He started the car and pulled out. Silence filled the car, neither of us saying anything.

The car came to a stop and I looked out the window to see where we stopped at a house. Jeremy and Elena's house.

Elena and Stefan were sitting on the porch bench. She was hunched over, a blanket draped over her shoulders. There was dried blood on her nurse costume, some fake, some hers. She looked shaken up, but I can't blame her. Who wouldn't be after being attacked and witnessing something like that?

Damon called my name and I lifted my head in his direction. "I'll be back. I'll take you home after I deal with this."

I didn't say anything, just nodded and looked back out of the window. He left and walked over to Elena and Stefan. I closed my eyes, willing myself to block out the screams and visions. I must've fallen asleep because I felt myself waking up when two strong arms were carrying me.

My eyes fluttered open, instantly taking in the scent of cologne and leather. I lifted my head away from the chest it was laying on and saw Damon. Turning my head slightly, I saw he was carrying me up to my room.

I laid my head back down on his chest and let my eyes close again. When he placed me on the bed, he reached over and grabbed a blanket to cover me with.

He must have thought I was asleep because he leaned down and pressed his lips against my forehead. I felt my face heat up, but no words left me. I didn't want him freaking out or anything.

When I heard my door close, I opened my eyes and touched the spot he briefly kissed. Maybe he's not such a bad guy after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked this one. let me know what you think. bye, my lovelies, Diamond xx


	16. Not So Happy Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aren't birthdays supposed to be happy? Well, not this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, my loves! hope you enjoy!

**TW: character death**

\---

"Hey, Y/N. Sorry for calling you in today, but I need answers."

Sheriff Forbes sat down in her chair and I sat across from her. I looked around her office; it looked the same from when I was last in here. A few photo frames on her neatly organized desk; files stacked up and pushed off to the side. The window blinds were open, the light from outside streaming in.

"It's no problem. What can I help you with?" I asked, even though I already knew the nature of her questions. She must be trying to find information on Vicky.

I know the full story, but of course, I couldn't tell her anything without sounding crazy. Who would believe that vampires, vampires of all things, would be real?

"Do you have any idea where Vicky is?" Bingo. I was right.

I shook my head, making a confused face, but not overdoing it, "No, sorry. Vicky and I aren't exactly friends."

"I know," she said exasperatedly. How many people has she interviewed? "But what was there anything she might have said that seemed off to you."

"I'm sorry, but no. Honestly, this seems like something she would do. Just disappear, you know?"

"You're right," she said as she adjusted in her chair, "I guess that's all I need from you."

I stand up to leave when she grabs my arm, "How are you doing?"

I knew she wasn't just asking how I felt today. She was asking how I felt in general. It was nice, you know, knowing that someone still cared.

"I'm... better. My aunt being here with me is helping. I still miss my parents, but I like to think that they're safe and had a reason for leaving."

I knew the real, or at least what might be true, reason they left, but I couldn't tell anyone without rousing suspicions.

She smiled at me, "Well, that's good. I'm happy for you. And I promise you that we'll find them one day." I smiled and nodded my head before leaving. The thing about promises was that they were easy to say, but hard to follow through.

When I walked outside, the bright light of the sun hit me. The wind was blowing slightly, tousling my hair around my face. I saw Elena and Stefan off to the side, talking. Probably discussing what happened.

A little bit ahead were Jeremy and Jenna standing by their car. Jenna noticed me and sent a wave my way. Jeremy looked at me and a smile came across his face.

What? He's not mad at me? What happened? Well, whatever it is, I don't mind. I recently made up Stefan and I want to do the same thing for him.

If he's willing to push past what happened, then so am I.

Elena walks away from Stefan and I can see the defeated look on his face. I make my way over to him, "Hey Stefan."

He takes one last look at Elena before directing his attention to me. His gaze softened, "Y/N."

I shoulder my bag and start walking alongside him, "Everything okay?"

"Elena and I... we aren't together anymore," he said.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Seriously, Y/N, of course, he isn't, "I mean, of course, you're not."

"I'll be fine," he turned to me, "What about you and Jeremy?"

"We're... well, we're not so good. I accidentally told him something and he didn't take it that well," I explained.

"His loss," Stefan said simply and I sent him a shocked look. How did he know? Was it obvious?

"Not really," I commented. I mean, was it his loss? I'm not good enough. I'm different and he would never go for me anyways. I was only getting my hopes up.

He grabbed my shoulder gently and turned me around, "Don't think like that. You're good enough and if he can't see that then he's blind."

I smiled at him, "Thanks, Stefan. I just have a hard time believing that sometimes." He shook his head before walking again, "You shouldn't."

"Hey, Stefan?" I ask as we continue walking along the sidewalk; cars whizzing past us and people talking on their phones, going about their day.

"Hmm," he replies, turning his head to me as he stops walking, pulling us over to a spot where people couldn't bump into us. He's always protective of me. He sometimes makes me think this is what it would be like if I had an older brother.

"This is going to sound weird, but I have a bad feeling about today," I say, glancing around me to make sure no one was listening, "like a weird, witchy feeling, you know?"

When I woke up this morning, an overwhelming sense of dread crept in. It wasn't fear, but something stronger, deeper. It reminded me of the feeling I had before school started—that something bad was coming and I was the only one who knew.

He raises an eyebrow, "That's weird. The only thing going on today that I know about is my birthday."

He said it so nonchalantly that I almost skipped over it. "Your birthday? Why didn't you tell me?"

He laughed at the excited look on my face, "Because it's not a big deal." I nudged him with my elbow, "Not a big deal? It's your birthday. How old are you turning anyways?"

"162." 162? Wow, I mean I knew he was a vampire, but still. That's old, really old.

"We should do something. It's not like somebody is turning 162 every day," I suggested, excitement filling me. When my parents were still here, we always did something fun for birthdays and I want to share that experience with him.

"It's not a big deal, Y/N," he said, trying to brush off the subject. Little did he know, I was not giving up that easily.

I shook my head, "No, sir. We're doing something for your birthday."

"You're just like Lexi, so persistent," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Upon seeing the confused look on my face at the mention of Lexi, he explained, "Lexi's is my..." a smile came across his face, "she's my crazy best friend. She came for my birthday."

I could tell how much he cared about her with the look on his face. It wasn't often you would see a smile on his face, but when he was talking about her, there was one.

"Can I meet her?" I asked, wanting to know more about Stefan, including his friends.

"Sure. I'll talk to her and let you know what she says."

I nodded before leaving him to his own devices. When that dreadful feeling reappeared, I sighed. What's going to happen?

\---

A small yawn escaped my mouth, leaving me shaking my head. I rubbed my eyes before focusing on the book in my lap.

I found a book about witchcraft in the floorboards of my parents' room. I decided it would be good to learn more about it.

I set the book down on the table and went to grab a glass of water from the kitchen. As I left the room, I felt a whoosh of air, but ignored it, thinking there was a draft or a window was open.

When I came back, I noticed the book had flipped to a random page. Huh, that's weird. I shook my head before picking the book up and placing it back in my lap.

Looking down at the page, I notice something familiar-- a crescent moon and a sun. They were just like my birthmarks and the crescent moon charm I recently added to my charm bracelet.

Written on the top of the page in dark, thick ink were the words: _Lunam Lunatis et Solis_. Just like before, I could easily read the words, despite not knowing Latin. _The Crescent Moon and the Sun._

The words below were written in a smaller font, but still in the same dark, thick ink that would have bled through if not for the thick yellowing paper.

My eyes scanned the words in the paper. Mumbling quietly to myself, I read the words, "The crescent moon and the sun—such wonders that when combined create something powerful."

I let my fingers drift over the slightly crisp, wrinkled paper, "The sun—the celestial body of strength, firmness, and power. The moon—the celestial body of beauty, calmness, and nurturing."

Two different things, yet when put together, they form something different, but in a good way.

I wonder what else this book might tell me. Could it answer my questions about why my birthmarks make me special?

A buzzing sound cut through the silent room. My head lifted in search of what was making the noise when my gaze landed on the phone beside me.

Flashing across the screen was Stefan's name. I picked the phone up, pulling it to my ear, "Hey, Stefan."

I heard shuffling on the other end before he started speaking, "Hey, Y/N. So I know how you said you wanted to do something for my birthday-"

I quickly cut him off, thinking he would try to cancel, "Did you find something for us to do? And don't say it's not important."

A laugh broke through the static background of the phone, "I'm not, but apparently, Damon got Caroline to throw a party tonight at the Grill."

My eyebrows furrowed together, a sigh leaving my mouth, "I thought Damon wasn't supposed to be around Caroline."

"You know Damon doesn't listen to anybody's rules except his," Stefan said in a joking tone, but I could hear the tenseness in his voice. There must be more to it, but I'm not going to pry. I'll let him tell me when he's ready.

"Well, are you going?" I asked even though I knew he was.

"Yep, and I'm bringing Lexi," excitement filled me when he mentioned her name. "So, can I meet her?"

"Yes, Y/N. You can meet her," even though his voice was sort of monotone, I just knew that he was smiling at my antics.

"Great, so I'll see you there?" I asked, getting up from my spot on the couch to get to my room. Stefan replied with a simple 'yes' and we hung up. I pocketed my phone as I entered my room. I slid over to my dresser in my socks, almost falling over.

Once I regained my balance, I shook my head and laughed a little at my clumsiness. I pulled one of the drawers open and grabbed a pair of jeans. I would've kept what I had on, but leaving the comfort of my house in these shorts was a big, fat NO. That'd be way too uncomfortable.

I pulled off my shorts and tugged on my jeans, jumping slightly to pull them up. As I buttoned them, I looked around for a pair of converse. I got down on the floor and found a pair under my bed.

I put the shoes on and tied them before a noise caught my attention. Making my way downstairs, the noise was clearer and I knew where it was coming from. I reached the living room and saw my aunt on the floor, bending her body weirdly.

"Aunt Lidia, what are you doing?" I asked, making my way over to her. She looked up at me and smiled sheepishly, "I was, uh, trying something new, but I might have been doing it wrong.

I reached out a hand and pulled her up. She stretched, behind her knees to get the blood flowing again.

I put a hand to my mouth to hold in the laughter building in my throat, "Yeah, I think you were."

Her features hardened as she glared at me and I raised my hands in surrender, "Easy, just kidding."

She narrows her eyes, not believing me, "Uh-huh." Her eyes look over me when she notices that I'm dressed, "Where are you going kiddo?"

"There's a party thing at the Grill," I said, closing the book I had been reading earlier and putting it on the bookshelf near the TV.

One of her fingers reached out and poked my cheek, and I raised an eyebrow at her confused, "What?"

"This is a life-changing moment. You, my sweet, darling niece who never goes out, is going to a party?"

I rolled my eyes. Here comes the theatrics. Someone should let this woman become an actress. Better yet, a comedian!

"I'm only going because today is Stefan's birthday and he's going," I explained before turning around.

"Speaking of Stefan..." she paused and I waved my hand for her to continue, "His brother, Damon?"

"What about him?"

She shrugged her shoulders, a sly smirk coming across her face, "It's nothing. Just that he seems sweet on you."

This time I didn't hold back my laughs, laughter erupting from my mouth. When I finally calmed down, I looked back to her to see a confused look, "Aunt Lidia, I love you and all, but Damon is not "sweet on me"."

Her arms crossed over her chest, "You may not see it but I do. Besides, he's handsome, very handsome."

"More of the point. He wouldn't go for someone like me," I said before a thought came to mind. Maybe I'm just not anyone's type. I'm okay with that though. Or am I?

"You have got to get more confidence in yourself," she shook her head, "Do you need me to take you there?"

I smiled at her, tilting my head slightly. She rolled her eyes before grabbing her bag off the couch. She walked towards the door before turning to see me still standing there, "Are you coming or not, kid?"

I quickly shuffled after her before grabbing my jean jacket that was slung on a chair.

\---

Arriving at the Grill, I could see the party was in full action. Loud chatter and people were milling about. As soon as I entered, loud music filled my ears and my eyes took in the sight of people dancing while holding their drinks. Some people were yelling to each from across the room and I wondered why they just couldn't talk regularly, right across from each other.

My eyes scanned over the crowd to see if I could find someone I knew. I quickly moved from near the doorway when a group of people behind me started hooting and cheering.

Looking around, I found Caroline strutting over to a table where Bonnie sat. Squeezing through people, I muttered apologies, trying to catch up with them as Caroline pulled Bonnie to the side. I stayed a little behind, not wanting to intrude on their seemingly private conversation, but still close enough so that I wouldn't lose them in the crowded room.

I could hear snippets of their conversation. Caroline was looking at Bonnie, with a slightly nervous look on her face, "-so Indian Giver and I know that we're not even supposed to say that anymore, but I need my crystal back." She needs the crystal back? I thought she gave that to Bonnie to have, not to borrow.

"Why? You said you hated it," Bonnie replies, sounding confused at Caroline's request.

Caroline looked down at the necklace, then to Bonnie, stuttering slightly, "B-but then I saw it on you, and it realized how great it is." I call bullshit. Why would she want it back when she practically threw it at Bonnie because she didn't want it?

Caroline shrugs her shoulders, clearly trying to play it off, "And I've got, like, 3 outfits I can coordinate with it so-"

Bonnie cuts her off before she gets too far, shaking her head, "I can't give it back to you."

"Okay," she started, obviously annoyed, "uh, well, I didn't want to have to tell you this, but I'm your friend." Where is she going with this? "When you wear it, it makes you look fat."

What the- Who says that?

"There. I said it. But it's because I'm your friend, so—" she continued, laughing it off.

Bonnie shrugged, "I'm sorry. Caroline, I can't." Caroline's face scrunched up, "Well, what do you mean you can't, Bonnie? It's mine."

"I thought you said it was Damon's," Bonnie replied, looking quizzically at the other.

"Well, it is," Caroline starts again, but Bonnie stops her from continuing. "So he's the one who really wants it back?"

I sighed when I realized that made sense. How could she go from hating it to wanting it back? Damon must've told her to get it for him, especially after what happened at the Halloween party.

Caroline's quick to defend herself, "No. Maybe. Just—" she reaches out and tries to grab a hold of the necklace, but it reacts the same way it did to Damon—it shocks her hand.

I look away as they continue their conversation, the sound of cheering distracting me. When I turn back, Bonnie's gone and Caroline is standing there shocked and confused. She walks off and I huff, being left alone again.

I tap my fingers against my arm, looking around the Grill to see if there was someone I could stand by while waiting for Stefan. It was as if the heavens had decided to be nice to me.

An arm wrapped around my shoulder and I was about to elbow them in the stomach when familiar laughter sounded above me. I looked up to see Stefan smiling down at me and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Geez, Stefan. You scared me. I thought you were some drunk guy," I said, turning my body slightly to hug him.

He wrapped his arms around me and when we pulled away, I noticed he was alone. "Where's Lexi?"

"She came here earlier because I had to do some things. How about we go and look for her?"

I nodded my head and we weaved through the clusters of people dancing and talking. Stefan grabbed my hand and dragged me over to a girl with long brownish-blonde hair and hazel-green eyes.

Once she spotted us, she put down the glass in her hand and walked over. She held out a hand, "You must be Y/N?" I nodded my head, sort of shouting over the loud music, "I take it you're Lexi then?" She nodded as well and we started talking, poking fun at Stefan.

Lexi managed to get Stefan and me out on the dance floor, regardless of our denials. Stefan was behind her and she was holding my hands while dancing.

"Okay, I'm gonna need a little more foot movement from you." Oh, she's funny, really funny if she thinks I'm going to dance in front of all these people.

"Yeah, I'm not really—not really interested in making a fool out of myself," Stefan said, moving around her.

"And I would just fall on my face," I added to which they both laughed.

Lexi rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on. You're not _that_ bad." She laughed as she waved her hands in the air. She's carefree. Does what she wants regardless of how other people view her. It's different from the people here.

I couldn't help but let my mood dampen by that dreadful feeling creeping back up again. It was stronger now. Much stronger. The hairs on my hair were rising as goosebumps covered my skin. Whatever it was, wasn't good and I just hoped nobody would get hurt.

"Do me a favor. Tell me if you see Damon with his camera phone," Stefan said before grabbing both Lexi and I's hands and twirling us around.

\---

After our immense dancing, we settled around the pool table. I was leaning against it, watching Stefan and Lexi play. This is fun. I'm not a party person by any means, but being with people who make me feel good is nice.

Lexi jerked her stick forward, making the cue ball hit another, sending it into one of the pockets. I clap for her, and both she and Stefan cheer.

She raises her hands to give both of us high fives. I take a sip of my water as my eyes scan over the crowd. Stefan takes the stick from Lexi and gets ready for his shot. I notice a familiar girl with long brown hair and brown eyes staring longingly at the two.

It's Elena. I don't think she's noticed that I've caught her. An indifferent look came onto her face as she watched Stefan and Lexi laugh at something the other said. Jealousy.

She's jealous. Jealous of Lexi because she's with Stefan. I completely understand why she wouldn't want to be with Stefan. I mean, vampires are a tad bit problematic, but if she truly cares about him, couldn't she just work through it?

Damon comes up behind Elena and they start talking. I notice the annoyed look on her face and the desire to get away from him in her eyes. I almost laughed out loud but didn't want to bring attention to myself, so I stayed quiet.

Shortly after Damon finished bothering Elena, Lexi left to go get more drinks, or in her words, "get some liquid courage."

I turn to Stefan, "So you and Lexi?" He furrows a brow, "What?"

"Have you two ever had, I dunno, feelings for each other?"

"No, we're just friends," at the sight of my unsure look, he continued, "she's my best friend. I love her, but not in that kind of way."

I nodded when I noticed Bonnie over in the corner. I set my water down and turned back to Stefan, "I'll be back. I have to talk to Bonnie."

I left once he said okay and made my way over to her. "Bonnie."

"What's up?" I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest, "I'm sorry about what happened at the Halloween party."

"Why are you sorry?" she asked, leaning against the side of a table.

"It was probably confusing to see me with Damon, but I promise nothing is going on. He just needed my help I guess."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me. I wouldn't understand why, but if you wanted to be with Damon, it's fine."

I smiled at her, before the necklace caught my eye, "Is that your talisman?" She clutched it in her hand, "It's weird. My grams said that it found me, but I'm not sure what that means."

"Maybe-" my words are cut short when the feeling of dread creeps up. This time it was like it was breathing down my neck. It was close.

"Y/N," the sound of Bonnie's voice brings me back. I shook my head, attempting to clear my thoughts. It didn't do much to help. The presence of that feeling was there and I didn't know what to do.

Just as I was about to respond, I caught sight of Sheriff Forbes and two other police officers entering. There was a girl with them. She had a frightened look on her face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her shaking arms were wrapped tightly around her body.

Sheriff Forbes says something to her and the girl raises a shaky arm and points to the bar. Damon and Lexi are sitting there. Oh no. Did they find out?

She turns the girl around and into the arms of a waiting police officer who escorts her out. I take a few steps towards where Damon and Lexi sat, Sheriff Forbes and her two officers doing the same.

She steps up close to Lexi and discreetly pushes the needle of a syringe into her. I can hear her gasp as she starts to fall forward slightly; whatever she injected into her, taking effect.

Damon quickly stands up from his seat and hisses, " _What_ are you doing?"

The feeling. It's stronger. This is what must've triggered it. My breathing picks up. I know what's going to happen. I can sense it even more now. It's almost like when it's about to rain-- you can smell it in the air, feel how the air shifts.

"Thank you for the vervain; now if you'll excuse me." That's all Sheriff Forbes said before she and the two police officers drag Lexi out.

I look eyes with Stefan and I can see the panic, fear, and confusion swimming in them. He starts after them before a guard tells him no one can leave out the front entrance.

Stefan turns on his heel; Elena and I quick after him. I ignore Bonnie calling my name, hoping that we could get there fast enough so that nothing bad would happen to Lexi.

We barely know each other, but she's Stefan's best friend and one of the very few people who treat me like a normal person.

The vervain. Damon gave it to them to use, but why? Did he know Lexi would be coming? No, he couldn't have. He wouldn't have given her up, right? I'm not too sure, anymore.

We make our way through the back when suddenly Stefan stops. I halt, not knowing what to do, just peering over Stefan's shoulder. The officers who were holding Lexi were suddenly thrown off of her. Sheriff Forbes quickly pulls out a gun, shooting her with wooden bullets. A quiet gasp escapes my mouth and I fall onto the ground, watching the scene unraveling before my eyes.

This is what the feeling was. This was the dread. Lexi keeps moving despite getting shot, and I figure it's because she's older and stronger. I have hope for her until Damon appears behind her. With a stake. In his hand.

I barely have time to react before he plunges the stake into her chest, much like how Stefan did to Vicky, except this time the vampire in pursuit wasn't a threat. She was just a nice girl who I met today and was Stefan's best friend.

Stefan lets out a staggered, "Oh my god." He stumbles back a bit standing near me in shock.

Lexi's body drops to the ground and her eyes are facing me. I quickly shut mine, not wanting the sight to be engraved in my mind. But it was too late. It was there. The sight of her eyes. The dread was still there, the fear, the ominous presence of something bigger, more dangerous coming.

When I got home, courtesy to Elena, I numbly drug myself up to my room and sat down on my bed. I didn't bother getting undressed, only laying down on my back, watching how the moonlight created shadows on the ceiling. 

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but after a while, I sat up and reached over to my nightstand for my journal and opened it. I opened it up to a fresh page and began writing.

\---

_Dear Journal,_

_I was wrong. I was wrong about Damon. I was wrong about a lot of things. I thought this town and the people in it couldn't get more confusing. Turns out they could. People in Mystic Falls know about vampires--they know how to kill them, what to slow them down with. I thought Damon just had a few flaws, like every other person, but that... That wasn't the actions of a flawed person. No, they were the actions of someone who only cared about themselves._

_Happy Birthday, Stefan, well not so happy birthday._

_Farewell, Journal_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for waiting so long to update. I'm just used to uploading to Wattpad and Wattpad only, but I'll be better at adding the chapter on here. Let me know what you guys think! Bye, Diamond xx


	17. Some Things Are Simply BS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoy this chapter!

After what happened over the weekend, I had been avoiding everyone. I needed to understand what was going on and how it involves me.

I learned more tricks on how to control my magic. My emotions of confusion and shock caused my magic to make some books on the bookshelf fall off. Aunt Lidia had looked at me like I did something wrong and then proceeded to give me a lesson on how to control my emotions.

Certain emotions such as stress, anger, and excitement can affect your magic. It's more of a reason for me to know how to control it. While people have become more accepting of witches in the past decade or so, some people still hunt them.

As for now, I was just sitting in class, twirling my pencil around in my hand. I had gotten to school early because my aunt had to run some early errands and she was my ride.

The shrill alarm of the bell rang as some latecomers bustled in after one another. Bonnie rushed in, looking frazzled and out of it. An older man, who I assumed was our new teacher, came in after her.

"Good morning, everyone," he said, rushing in and making his way over to the chalkboard. He rubbed his hands together, "Alrighty."

I was watching him in amusement. I mean, how stereotypical is it for the new teacher to be late and unprepared? The answer is very.

I turned to where Bonnie sat, her eyes wide and puffy as if she hadn't slept. Elena glanced at me then at Bonnie, mouthing 'are you okay?'. Bonnie simply shrugged, looking lost.

I'll talk to her about it after class. Whatever happened before she came to school was bothering her. I turned back around in my chair and saw as the teacher wrote his name on the chalkboard.

He dusted his hands off and turned so that he was facing us. "Alaric Saltzman," he smiled, clasping his hands together, "It's a mouthful. I know. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Saltzman is of German origins. My family emigrated here in 1755 to Texas."

Mr. Saltzman crossed the room, "I, however, was born and raised in Boston. Now the name Alaric belongs to a very dead great-grandfather I will never be able to thank enough. You'll probably want to pronounce it "Ala-ric," but it's "A-lar-ic," ok?"

I glanced around the room. Everyone was quiet as he talked. Some people looked like they were about to fall asleep. I can see why though, he was talking an awful lot, but it wasn't bad or anything.

He pointed to us, "So you can call me Rick. I'm your new history teacher." That's strange. Teachers hardly ever allow us to call them by their first names, let alone a nickname, but hey, I'm not complaining.

\---

"Then I woke up at the remains of Old Fell's Church before I woke up back in the woods."

Elena and I were listening to Bonnie as she told up what happened to her. Elena wasn't sure at first until Bonnie assured her that I knew and I wasn't going to tell anybody. Little did Elena know, I'm the same as Bonnie.

Elena looked at Bonnie confused, "And you always see your ancestor Emily?" Bonnie nodded fervently. "Huh."

"Maybe she's trying to warn you or send a message?" I offered, but I knew that wasn't the case.

She looked back and forth between the two of us, "Do you believe in ghosts?" I wasn't sure if I did, but if vampires and witches were real, then I'm sure ghosts are as well.

"2 weeks ago, I'd say no, but now--" Elena started, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders.

"I think I'm being haunted," Bonnie blurted out, halting Elena's talking. She could very well be, but why? Why would her ancestor be haunting her?

Elena voiced my thoughts, "I don't get it. Why Emily?" That's what I'm wondering.

"Grams said she was a powerful witch back in the Civil War days and that this medallion was hers," she grabbed the necklace before dropping it against her chest, "a witch's talisman."

Elena pointed to the necklace, "And it all started when you got the necklace?" Bonnie nodded, "I think she's using it to communicate with me."

I stayed quiet, thinking. Something was off, but I couldn't place it.

"Ok, what does Grams say about it?"

Bonnie heaved out a sigh, "I can't call her. She's gonna tell me to embrace it. I don't want to embrace it. I want it to stop."

I think I know what we have to do.

\---

After lunch, we parted ways. I was walking from my class when I saw Damon approach Bonnie, who had been looking down. Bonnie bumped into him and swiftly walked past him. He started walking up next to her. So I did what any normal person would do, I followed after them.

"Well, I can't take it, but you can give it to me," Damon said and I knew they were talking about the necklace. Why did he want it so bad? "I'm trying to help you here."

Help? How is pestering and tormenting her, helping? That's right, it's not.

"I don't want your help-" Damon cut her off, "See, you do want my help, you don't even know it." He pointed to her, "You know why, you little witch? 'Cause you have stumbled into something you need to stumble out of."

What is he talking about? I walked faster to catch up with them without either of them knowing I was there.

Bonnie approached her car, "Just leave me alone, or I swear I'll--" Damon shifted so that he was in front of her. I quickly ducked behind a tree, so neither of them noticed me.

"Ooh. Don't. No threats. Look, A," he held a finger up, "You hurt me last time, B," another finger up, "I wish you no harm."

Damon leaned in close to her, "Believe it or not, Bonnie, I wanna protect you. Let me help you get Emily off your back."

Wait a minute. How-

"How do you know about her?"

"I know a lot of things," he said, stepping forward, making Bonnie back up into another car, "and I know more about that crystal than you do, and I know that she's using it to creep inside of you." He ran his ring clad hand against her cheek and I could feel the fear radiating off her.

He gasped and she jumped, holding onto her books tightly, "See how scared you are? And you should be because I will get that crystal even if I have to wait for Emily to give it to me herself."

Bonnie held her head up high. I assume to make him believe she wasn't afraid. Damon continued, "So the next time she comes out to play, you tell her..." he opened Bonnie's car door, rested his chin on it, "that a deal's a deal."

Bonnie looked to Damon, wanting to get in her car, but not knowing if he'd do something to her. He cocked his head, motioning for her to get inside. Once she got in, he closed the door after her.

When I was sure, she had gone, I came out from behind the tree, rushing up to Damon.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I hissed at him.

Damon turned to me, flashing me a smile, "Y/N, how lovely to see you."

We walked together, "Don't do that, and stay away from her."

He stopped walking, pulling us over to a secluded area where nobody was. That's when I noticed he did the same thing as before. He trapped me.

"Listen," his blue eyes scanned my face, "I don't want to hurt her, but I need my necklace back."

"Why?" I asked, looking at him. How could someone as handsome as him be so maniacal and evil? Why am I even thinking that?

"Confidential information," was all he said. I sighed, "Just stay away from her, and stay away from Caroline."

I pushed my hands against his chest to get past him, but he didn't budge. That's when I looked up to see him looking down at me, his pink lips in a smirk.

He reached a hand to my hair and latched onto a piece, fiddling with it. I slapped his hand away and glared at him.

"You must really like touching me, huh?"

I quickly removed my hand from his chest. I hadn't even realized it was still there.

I shook my head, recuperating my thoughts, "No, of course not. You're the last person that I'd ever touch on purpose."

He put a hand on his chest, the metal zipper on his jacket glinting from the bright sun rays. Tossing his head back, staggering and groaning, he said, "You wound me, darling. How will I ever heal from this heartache?"

"Not my problem," I said, leaning against the brick wall behind me, attempting to put space between us. That didn't go as planned because the annoying little prick followed.

His icy-blue eyes peered in my e/c ones. Confusion hit me, and it wasn't until I saw his pupils dilating that I knew what his intentions were.

This son of a-

"Damon!" I hissed at him, face scrunching up in anger and frustration, "What the actual hell is wrong with you? Are you seriously trying to compel me?"

A heavy sigh leaves his mouth and he mutters something under his breath. My glare hardens as he looks back up at me, a sly smirk on his face.

"Well, it didn't work, now did it? You don't have to be mad."

He's kidding, right?

I shook my head, scoffing, "Look, Damon. I thought deep down in that cold, icy heart of yours that you were a good person. But, guess what? You're not. You hurt people for fun and have no remorse about it."

He opened his mouth to speak, but I just kept going, the anger and frustration I've been feeling lately spilling out, "No. You don't care about anyone but yourself. You turned Vicki and then Stefan had to kill her. You've been tormenting Bonnie over that freaking necklace for days. And let's not forget what you did to Lexi. I mean, c'mon, what did she ever do to you? Turn you down?"

"I did it to protect-"

I scoffed, "That's bullshit! That's bullshit, and you know it. How was killing her protecting anyone? You hurt Stefan, Damon. You hurt him just like you hurt everybody else."

Heavy breaths of frustration escaped through my nose and my heart was trying to jump out of the cage of my heaving chest. The smirk that once adorned his face vanished and instead it had gone red.

Silence. Silence filled the air. The only thing that I heard was the sound of people leaving school: cars driving off, laughter, and people making plans.

Neither of us said anything, just basking in the words that had left my mouth. I pushed past him, not wanting to be there any longer.

I turned around, "I hope that one day you can change," I paused, looking down at the ground, "but until then, don't come near me or my friends."

With those parting words, I turned around and left him standing there. I should have been happy that I finally removed him from my life, so why did it feel like I did something wrong?

\---

I entered the Grill and the sound of people talking flooded my ears. After my little run-in with Damon, I got a call from the Grill asking me to come in.

I had forgotten I even applied to work here. Recent events had taken over my mind. When I walked in, I noticed two things. 1, Jeremy and Jenna sitting at a table together, eating dinner, and 2, our new history teacher eating by himself.

Someone with brown hair and blue eyes spotted me and waved me over. A smile crossed his face, "Hey, are you coming in about the job?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I just got a call." His eyes were blue like Damon's, but they were warm and inviting, not cold and dark.

"Well, the manager stepped out for a bit, but I can show you the ropes if you want."

"Of course. I'm Y/N, by the way."

"Andy."

Andy showed me the ropes. His tip on remembering who ordered what was: "Just look at what they're wearing. So, if someone orders a burger, remember what they had on."

He told me my schedule and after that I left, going to head over to head back home. I won't start working until tomorrow, so today was my free day.

I was heading home on my bike when I passed by the woods. Slowing down on the bike, I kicked down the kickstand, admiring nature.

There was a sudden shift in energy, almost like low static energy was moving through the air. It was hypnotizing and drawing me in.

The next thing I knew, I was dragging my bike along the fallen leaves as I walked into the thicket of the woods. The further I went, the louder the hum got.

I could feel the energy more, pulling me closer. It seemed as though I was in a trance. The crunching of twigs and leaves, the sound of birds flying and wind tousling with the trees filled my ears.

The sky was quickly darkening, the midnight blue color seeping in. Making a left turn, I could feel the energy growing stronger. I wasn't looking where I was going and a branch hooked around my ankle, bringing me and my bike down to the ground.

A groan left me as I winced, pain coursing through my body. I felt a throbbing sensation in my hand and looked down to see a cut. The crimson red color of the blood was staining my hand and seeping into the ground.

I glared at the jagged rock that had pierced through my skin as I slowly rose from the ground. I rubbed the dirt and leaves off my clothes and head when the buzzing came back.

It was stronger, almost as if I was right beside it. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as goosebumps covered my skin. I shook off the feeling and reached down to grab my bike when something caught my eye.

Poking out through some leaves settled under a tree was a piece of paper. As I walked over to it, the buzzing grew louder. Once it was in my hands, the noise stopped. I glanced around to see if anyone was near before delicately unrolling the piece of paper.

The paper and the thick ink was almost like the one from the book in my parents' room. At the very top of the paper were the words: _The Moon and the Sun Prophecy._

The sun and the moon...? Wait a second. Does this have anything to do with my birthmarks and the book I found?

Before I could continue reading the scroll of paper, a noise rang through the trees. I pocketed the scroll and got back on my bike, heading in the direction.

Stupid, I know. But, hey, as I've said before, curiosity killed the cat; and I was about to risk one of my lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what'd you guys think? Bye, Diamond xx


	18. Goodbyes and Goodnight Thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, my loves! hope you enjoy!

As I delved further into the woods, the sun had set, shrouding the woods in its darkness. The only source of light was the moon on display, peeking out from behind a cluster of dark clouds.

The further I went, the closer I got to whatever was making the noise. By now, the cut on my hand had stopped bleeding, only burning when I put too much pressure on it.

I could hear people talking. There were two- no, three different voices. Two males, one female. They sounded vaguely familiar.

I slowly crept closer, trying to make the least amount of noise as I moved my bike across the twig and leaf-covered ground.

A voice I didn't quite recognize spoke up, "These people don't deserve this. They should never know such evil."

Evil? What are they talking about?

I placed my bike on the ground carefully and quietly. Tiptoeing, I moved behind some trees to see I could spot anyone.

"What do you mean evil?"

Stefan. What is he doing here? What's going on?

"Emily. I swear to God, I'll make you regret this." That's Damon. And is Emily who I think-

"Hello, little witch."

I froze, slowly lowering my foot down to the ground. Maybe she wasn't talking about me. Yeah, that's right. Bonnie could be with them. But why would she be alone with Damon and Stefan- two people who she despises?

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"Come on out, Y/N. I know you're listening to us," the person, I'm assuming Emily, said.

I bit my lip, contemplating my next move. I could always pretend I'm not there, but I think it's too late for that now.

Taking a deep breath, I walked out from behind the trees that obscured me to see an interesting sight. Damon, Stefan, and Bonnie all gathered around.

They all turned their heads in my direction. Both boys looked confused except for Bonnie. She was smiling at me and there was this look in her eyes, almost as if she knew something that I didn't.

Clearing my throat, I spoke up, my voice ringing throughout the somewhat quiet area, "What are you guys doing here? And who's Emily?"

Great. Straight to the point.

"Me," the voice came from Bonnie, but it wasn't her. Confusion clouded my thoughts until it hit me. Emily is Bonnie's ancestor so that means-

"I could feel your energy. You have such a powerful aura," Bonnie, no Emily, said to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, stepping closer to the group. I noticed how Damon and Stefan's eyes flitted down to my hand. Oh, that's right. I cut myself.

I knew Stefan wouldn't hurt me, but with what happened earlier, I wouldn't be all that surprised if Damon decided to kill me.

"You'll understand in near time. You're one step closer to fulfilling the prophecy," she answered. The prophecy... as in the scroll I found?

Before I could ask more questions, Damon started talking, "Back to what we were talking about."

"I won't let you unleash them into this world," Emily said and it was strange hearing someone else's voice in Bonnie's body.

Stefan looked to Damon, who was kneeling on the ground. Was he hurt? "Them? What part of the story did you leave out, Damon?"

Damon grunted, trying to pull himself together, "What does it matter?"

"Emily, tell me what you did."

Bonnie (Emily) rose her head, "To save her, I had to save them."

Save who? At this point, I was starting to get a little agitated, wanting someone to explain what was going on to me.

"You saved everyone in the church?" Stefan asked, turning to her. I crossed my arms over my chest, the fog making me cold.

"With one comes all."

Damon stood up, latching on to Stefan's arms, out of breath, "I don't care about that. I just want Katherine."

So this is what all of this is about? Katherine. I thought she died. What could he possibly want with her?

Stefan grabbed onto Damon, anger coming onto his face, "I knew I shouldn't have believed a single word that comes out of your mouth."

While he was getting angry with Damon, I noticed Bonnie (Emily) creating something in the ground with a stick. I stepped forward. I don't feel good about this. That feeling is coming back again.

"This isn't about love, is it? This is about revenge," Stefan said as I started walking closer to Bonnie (Emily).

"The two aren't mutually exclusive," Damon said, causing Stefan's voice to rise, "Damon, you can't do this."

Bringing Katherine back must mean bringing back the rest of the vampires. If so, Damon definitely shouldn't do this. That would mean utter chaos for the people of Mystic Falls. Vampires that haven't fed in over a century are going to go on a rampage.

I turned back to see Damon push Stefan away from him, his voice filled with anger as well, "Why not? They killed 27 people and they called it a war battle. They deserve whatever they get."

"27 vampires, Damon. They were vampires. You can't just bring them back." Oh no. That's too many. It wouldn't be good for anyone if Emily released them.

I let out a heavy sigh, not knowing what to do. Why is it that the crazy things in this town always involve me somehow?

Damon grabbed ahold of Stefan's face, trying to make him understand, "This town deserves this."

I looked back to Bonnie (Emily) to see her still making markings in the dirt. I don't know what she's doing, but I hope she isn't releasing them.

"You're blaming innocent people for something that happened 145 years ago," Stefan said, and I completely agreed with him. We aren't those same people, and he would be risking the lives of so many people just for one person.

"There is nothing innocent about these people, and don't think for a second it won't happen again," Damon hissed out at Stefan before turning to Bonnie (Emily), "They already know too much, and they'll burn your little grandwitch right next to us if they find out. Trust me."

Bonnie (Emily) looked up, stopping what she was doing, "Things are different now."

"Don't do this," Damon pleaded, trying to find some way to stop Emily from what she was about to do next.

"I can't free them. I won't."

I felt a small rumbling before a crackling noise sounded. I turned back to Bonnie (Emily). She raised her hands, determination on her face, "Incendia!" Fire surrounded her in a large circle. The yellow and orange flames flickering about.

Damon leaped forward, trying to stop her when Stefan grabbed him, holding him back. Bonnie (Emily) lifted her arms higher, the flames moving to create a star in the middle of the circle.

She looked down to the talisman around her neck and grabbed onto it, yanking it off. I just stood there, not knowing what to do or what to say.

Bonnie (Emily) reached her hand out ready to drop it into the awaiting fire. As she looked at Damon, a glimpse of her true self showed and Damon pleaded with her once more, "No. No. No, please."

Right when she was about to drop it, someone came running towards us, calling out Bonnie's name.

"Bonnie!" As they got closer, I realized it was Elena.

She ran up trying to stop her, but Stefan got to her before she could. Stefan wrapped his arms around her as he had done with Damon. Bonnie (Emily) clutched the necklace in her hand before throwing it up into the air.

It exploded, causing sparks to fall to the ground. I moved back, bumping into Stefan and Elena to avoid the sparks hitting me. Looking back to Bonnie, Emily appeared one last time, sending me a wink before leaving Bonnie's body.

The fire went out in smoke and Bonnie looked around dazed. We all stood still, not knowing what to do. Well, that was until Damon charged forward towards Bonnie, snarling, as veins emerged on his face.

Bonnie screamed as he tackled her to the ground, biting into her neck. I froze, thinking about what in the hell was wrong with Damon.

Stefan sped over the two, pulling Damon off her. Damon fell back, staggering and Elena and I rushed forward, finally snapping out of our frozen states.

Bonnie fell to the ground, rolling over to reveal blood running down her neck from her Damon had torn into her skin. Elena and I glanced at each other in shock, breaths heavy with worry.

"She's alive, but barely. I can save her," Stefan said, turning to us after removing his head from her chest. He bit into his wrist, the sound filling the silence.

I turned to Damon, ready to rip him a new one when Elena beat me to it, looking at him disgusted. He looked at me and all I did was glare at him, so badly wanting to drive a stake through his chest.

Stefan opened Bonnie's mouth, putting his right wrist against her lips to give her his blood. She groaned, squirming against the ground. A pained expression crossed her face as she looked up to him.

When she had had enough, Stefan pulled away, leaving her coughing and gasping for air. Looking down at her neck, I could see the bite mark reversing itself.

Elena leaned down, her hand barely skimming against Bonnie's skin, "Her neck, it's healing."

I let out a breath of relief, wiping away a tear I hadn't known had fallen. Even though Bonnie and I have just now gotten close, she was still my friend. I didn't know what I'd do if events had gone otherwise.

Elena and I took Bonnie over to Elena's car as we attempted to calm her down. As much as I wanted to stay behind and give Damon a piece of my mind, I knew Bonnie needed us.

"I don't understand, Elena, what happened to me," Bonnie said, "He attacked me, and... his face was like..." As she spoke, I could see the confusion and pain in her eyes.

"How do you feel? Are you ok?" Elena asked, brushing Bonnie's hair off her shoulder.

She looked around, "I'm fine. It's-It's just this blood. I don't..." she touched her neck. The wound had closed, but the blood had dried onto her skin.

Bonnie paused, looking at something ahead of her. Elena and I turned around to see Stefan approaching, but Damon was nowhere in sight which I was grateful for.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," he said to Bonnie as he walked forward. Bonnie looked at him warily before turning back to Elena, "What's going on, Elena?"

"I'll explain everything, Bonnie, ok? Let's just get out of here," Elena said, trying to calm Bonnie down.

Bonnie turned her head to look at Stefan and he simply nodded at her, telling her that it was okay.

"Bonnie. Bonnie, look at me. Trust me," Elena said, prompting Bonnie to turn to her, eyes filled with tears. "He's not going to hurt you. Come on."

She grabbed ahold of Bonnie's shoulders, ushering her into her car. As Elena opened the door, Bonnie let out a muffled noise that sounded like a sob.

Elena shushed her, "Shh. Get in the car." She closed the door and walked toward me, Stefan meeting us halfway.

"Is she in danger of becoming-" Elena started, running a hand through her hair in worry.

Stefan quickly cut her off before her thoughts went elsewhere, "No. No, she has to die with my blood in her system, so keep an eye on her tonight and make sure that nothing happens, and once it leaves her system, she'll be fine."

"I'm going to tell her the truth," Elena said hesitantly, looking at me, then Stefan. He nodded, face tense, "You sure?"

She glanced back at the car, "I can trust her. I need someone to know. Someone to talk to. I can't live in secret."

"I know that. Shouldn't have to," Stefan muttered, and when I looked at his face, I could once again see the war that was raging behind his eyes.

"You saved her life," Elena said after a bit of silence. She scoffed, shaking her head, "I'm sorry, Stefan... I thought that I couldn't be with you, but I can. You don't have to push me away."

I didn't say anything, not wanting to interrupt their moment, but I already knew what Stefan was going to say. As much as he cares about Elena, I know, just based on who he is as a person, that he would keep her away to protect her.

"I can do this," she said, reaching for his hands, pulling them into hers. I glanced back at the car to check on Bonnie only to find her looking forward, still dazed and confused.

Stefan looked off, closing his eyes while shaking his head, "I can't. I, uh- I have to leave, Elena. Too many people have died. Too much has happened."

Elena's face fell, "What? No. I know you think you're protecting me, but-" "I have to. Coming home was-" he took in a deep breath, "it was a mistake. I can't be a part of your life anymore."

She looked down, voice wavering slightly, "Don't go, Stefan. Please... you don't have to. This is your home. You- just please don't go."

Stefan raised her hand to his lips, kissing it before sending her a sad smile, stroking the side of her cheek as he sighed, "Goodbye, Elena."

He let go of her hand, turning around and walking off.

Elena just stared after him, hurt, "You're just going to walk away? Don't walk away, Stefan!" He ignored her, walking forward, away from her, away from me, away from this godforsaken town.

"Stefan!" she called after him, voice filled with hurt. She raised a hand to her mouth, trying to stop herself from crying.

I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around her. She flinched at first before relaxing into my embrace, her body shaking as quiet sobs left her mouth.

I shushed her and after calming her down, I brought her over to her car. After seeing she wasn't fit to drive, I took over, using my mediocre driving skills to take us to her house.

Now, we settled around Elena's bed, explaining to Bonnie what had happened to her and what Damon and Stefan were. I told Elena that I was a witch, something only a few people knew.

The more we explained, the more questions we all had. We understood what had happened and what everything meant, but the main thing we didn't know was: why us? Why were we the ones who had to deal with everything?

We shared tears as we bonded over everything that has happened to us. Bonnie leaned forward, wrapping Elena and me in the blanket that was around her shoulders.

At the end of the night, after we had calmed down and laid down in Elena's bed, one thought plagued my mind as I stroked the bandage on my hand. Maybe we should be like Stefan. We should leave this town.

The one problem with that sentiment, however, was that we knew the truth. We knew what secrets the world held and nothing was ever going to be the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what'd you guys think? let me know. bye, Diamond xx


	19. Another "Normal" Day in Mystic Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do normal days really exist in Mystic Falls? I think not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, my loves! enjoy!

I could barely sleep, my thoughts being too loud. I woke up to the sun shining brightly in my eyes, making me wince as I rolled over. Mornings are not for me because when I moved, I didn't notice I was at the edge of the bed and fell to the floor.

"Ah, shit," I groaned, sitting up and looking around tiredly. I turned and glared at the bed as if it had done something wrong. With wobbling legs, I stood up, finding my shoes and putting them on. Then I made my way out of the room.

Elena walked out of her bathroom, a jacket in her hands, "Morning."

I released a little yawn, "Good morning. Thanks for letting me crash here."

My aunt had to go to a meeting and wouldn't be back until morning. She thought it would be best if I didn't stay by myself all night. I agreed with her. After everything that has been going on, I did not want to be alone.

"Oh, no problem. You're like family. You're welcome anytime. I would have woken you up earlier, but you were still asleep, so I decided to give you some extra rest," she explained as I nodded. She glanced towards Jeremy's room, then back to me, "Did you know he was drawing again?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, "Really?" It had been so long since I had seen Jeremy pick up a pencil and just let his mind roam free.

She nodded as we walked down the stairs together, "Yep." Upon seeing Jenna grabbing her bag, Elena told her the news.

Jenna turned around, shocked, "You're kidding." Elena looked up towards his room, "Nope, but don't say a word. The minute we encourage him, he'll put it away."

"Yep, if he's drawing again, it's good," I said, grabbing my jacket off the hook near the door and sliding it on.

Jenna turned to me, a smile gracing her features, "Good morning, Y/N," she pointed to herself, "Psychology major. Check that."

I laughed at what she said before she looked at me with a knowing look as we turned to see Elena putting her phone down with a sigh. It must be Stefan.

Jenna said what I was thinking, "You and Stefan? Update?" Elena sighed, buttoning her jacket, "He knows how I feel and where I stand, and I know where he stands, but it doesn't matter. He's leaving, moving away."

"Where's he going?" Jenna asked, concerned.

"I've stopped asking questions," Elena said as she opened the front door, Jenna and I following after her, "The answers get scary."

I stifled a knowing chuckle. Elena wasn't wrong. I know for a fact that all curiosity does is show you things you never thought could happen.

_Now that I'm thinking about it, sometimes I'm a dumbass. Who randomly throws themselves into danger all the time? If you guessed me, then you are correct._

Elena closed the door behind us. Jenna let out a groan, "Yours leaves. Mine returns."

"Logan?" Elena asked, to which Jenna responded, "He's back." Both me and Elena made an 'ugh' noise. Why couldn't things be nice for everybody? A simple day without vampires or witches or just drama, in general, would be nice.

"I didn't let him past the front door," Jenna defended as she turned to us, her reddish hair falling over her shoulders. "I hope you slammed it in his face," Elena said, and I hummed in agreement.

Who has time for toxic people?

"Ah, medium slam," she said, shaking her head. "3-strike rule, Jenna," Elena reminded her, "You're not even allowed to watch the news."

"Exactly, no more Logan "Scum" Fell."

\---

Elena drove me to my house so I could change clothes and grab my backpack. My mind must've slipped away last night because I forgot to bring a change of clothes with me. I ran inside and went up to my room, grabbing some clothes.

I headed to the bathroom, needing to take a shower. Once I finished, I brushed my teeth while tugging on my jeans. They make it look so easy in the movies.

I made my way downstairs, ready to leave when my aunt stopped me, "Hey, kiddo. Slow down. Where are you going?"

I grabbed a granola bar from the table as I slung my bag over my shoulder, "I have to get to school. Elena's waiting outside for me."

Aunt Lidia nodded, "Okay, kid. Don't fall, trying to rush."

"Mmkay, bye, love you," I yelled to her as I opened the door and sped walked over to Elena's car. I sat down in the passenger's seat and huffed.

Elena turned to me, an amused look on her face, "You know, you didn't have to rush, right?"

_Oh._

\---

Bonnie, Elena, and I were walking down the hallway. The other two were talking about something, but I wasn't paying attention, just doodling in my notebook.

"Did I miss something?" Elena asked, catching my attention as I raised my head from my notebook. "Miss what?"

Bonnie turned to me, "They've been hanging out." Oh. It was Caroline and Matt. I guess I didn't notice.

"Kind of weird, don't you think?" Elena asked, and I agreed with her. I mean, there's nothing wrong with them being friends or anything, but it's so random. Then again, I'm friends with them all of a sudden, so maybe it's not as weird as I think.

"She needs someone nice like him, as opposed to a homicidal vampire like Damon," Bonnie said. "I agree with you, Bon," she turned and smiled at me because of the nickname.

"Yeah, how are you doing with all that?" she turned to me, "how are you both doing?"

"I'm freaked out," Bonnie said, honestly, "Damon attacked me. I could be dead right now, but I'm also grateful."

"Hmm?" Elena asked as we made our way to our first class. "To Stefan. He saved my life, and..." Bonnie answered.

We made it to our lockers, and Elena unraveled her scarf from around her neck. "Have you seen him?" Bonnie asked, hopefully as I leaned against the lockers, my eyes observing the hall.

"Not since he told me he was leaving," Elena said as she opened her locker, shoving her scarf inside, "For all I know, he's already gone."

"He wouldn't leave without saying good-bye," Bonnie reasoned with her. Elena was quick to cut her off, "Yes, he would."

She pulled out a few notebooks and textbooks, "He thinks he's protecting me. Clean break and all that."

"So, what are you doing to do?"

"What am I supposed to do?" she said, turning back to us, "I already begged him not to go. If I ask again, I'm being selfish. It is what it is."

We started walking again. "Well, maybe it's for the best," Bonnie said, attempting to cheer her up.

"What? Why?" Elena said as she stopped walking, making me bump into her.

"I mean, what kind of future could you have had with him, even if he stayed?"

Just as I was about to agree with Bonnie, the banner hanging from the ceiling fell and someone called out 'sorry.' Elena looked to Bonnie and me suspiciously.

"Did you guys just-" 

"No, I swear," Bonnie said, and I quickly followed up with an "Of course not."

Elena huffed, throwing up the blue banner with the words: _The Promise of YOUR Future_ on it. She stormed off, going to class. Bonnie and I shared a look, shrugging before following after the brunette.

\---

After the morning classes, lunch came around, and I had never been happier. I grabbed some food and a water bottle before heading over to the long-forgotten tree.

Plopping down on the ground, I pulled out my notebook, reviewing my notes while I ate. A figure stepped in front of me, blocking the bright rays of the sun from my eyes.

I raised my head to see a very familiar face, "Jeremy." A cheeky smile crossed his face as he gestured to the spot next to me, "Mind if I sit?"

I shook my head, moving my bag out of the way, "Go ahead." He sat down and leaned against the bark of the tree. Neither of us said anything. We only allowed ourselves to bask in the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the autumn air.

"So..." I started, breaking the silence as I turned to face him. "So..." he repeated after me. We stared at each other for a few seconds before bursting out into laughter.

"I wanted to apologize," he said after we had calmed down. Jeremy looked down, some of his shaggy brown hair falling into his face, "I was acting like a douchebag for no reason when all you wanted to do was help me."

I placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling softly at him, "It's fine, Jer. I get it. It wasn't my place to be trying to control you."

He nodded before turning to me a little grin on his face, "Okay then. Are we good? I'd hate to lose my best friend because I acted like a jerk."

"Hmm," I said, pretending to be in deep thought. Jeremy's face dropped slightly, thinking I was serious.

Heaving out a long sigh, I turned to him, exasperatedly, "I suppose we're good." He let out a relieved sigh, "Thank goodness. I thought you were going to say no."

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Jer Bear," I said, nudging him with my shoulder playfully. He turned to me, his brown eyes glaring at me, "I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

"And I never seem to listen, now do I?" I said, making him laugh.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, shaking his head as I leaned forward, placing my head on his shoulder.

We continued to talk about random things, and I realized something. I'd take this, our friendship, even with the rough patches, over a relationship that could begin in flames, but end in scattered ashes any day.

\---

I was standing in the auditorium, off to the side, while I sketched in my sketchbook. Professionals stood at their respective booths, giving information to those who came to them.

I looked up when I saw Sheriff Forbes walk in, Mayor Lockwood immediately flocking to her side as they talked.

_Huh. That's weird._

They walked over to where the drinks were, the mayor grabbing a paper cup. I scanned over the room before noticing Sheriff Forbes headed my way.

"Hey, Y/N," she said as she approached me, a warm smile on her face. I smiled back at her, "Hi, Sheriff."

She tilted her head to the side, a small lock of her blonde hair falling to the side, "How many times have I told you to call me Liz?"

I laughed, "Sorry. I guess it just slips my mind sometimes," I said, tapping the side of my head. Noting the tense look on her face, I asked her what was wrong.

Liz let out a sigh, glancing over to Caroline, "I don't know what to do anymore. I mean, she isn't opening up to me."

"I think she doesn't want you to see a vulnerable side of her," I said, gaining her attention, "She'll come around eventually, but you know how us teenagers are, angsty and all that."

She laughed, "I know the two of you aren't that close, but maybe you could talk to her, see how she's doing. I doubt she'll be talking to me anytime soon."

I sent a smile her way and nodded, "Sure." While I was closer with Bonnie and Elena, Caroline isn't a bad person to be around despite her bluntness.

Someone patched in through her radio. She sent me an apologetic look before walking off to answer. I looked around, seeing people milling about until I decided to leave from the wall and check some of the booths out.

Someone was standing near the art booth as I walked up to it. Tyler. He was flipping through the binder filled with drawings.

"They're good, huh?" I asked, leaning forward to look at some myself. He jumped, "Geez, do you not know how to let someone know you're about to say something?"

I ignored him, continuing to look through the art. They were good drawings, very creative. Don't get me wrong, I love all types of art, but I especially liked the ones that looked like someone had let their creativity run wild, no restraints.

"What do you want?" The sound of Tyler speaking raised my head. Was he talking to me? I looked around him to see Jeremy.

"Hey. Uh, just surprised to see you here," Jeremy said as he walked over, "Art usually implies culture, and culture implies, well, not you."

I sent Jeremy a disapproving look, and he just tilted his head, smiling at me. Remind me why I'm friends with him again.

Tyler shook his head, "Go to hell." He walked off, and Jeremy smiled after him victoriously. I turned to him, "You know you didn't have to do that, right?"

"Just messing around. Tyler will be fine, Y/N," Jeremy said, leaning down to look at the art. I rolled my eyes, "You said art implies culture, but he drew this," I said, pointing to a detailed drawing, "pretty cultured if you ask me."

With that, I patted Jeremy's shoulder before walking off. _Mission accomplished: Put Jeremy in his place. 100+ pts earned._

I was walking to get a snack from the vending machine when someone grabbed my shoulder. Turning around quickly, I prepared myself to attack, but upon seeing it was just Elena, I relaxed.

"Y/N, I know this sounds really weird, but I need you to come with me," Elena rushed out, a worried and frantic look on her face. Before I even had time to respond, she grabbed onto my arm, pulling me behind her as we made our way through the school.

She continued leading me until we reached the door towards the back. Pushing it open, she let go of my arm and peered around outside. I knew whatever was going on was serious, but the way she was peeking her head out was making her look like a meerkat. I was trying my hardest to keep my laughs inside.

Elena stopped looking around when her eyes caught sight of Stefan. She started walking towards him, and I followed after her. He was on the phone, but I'm guessing the call ended because he pocketed his phone with a sigh.

"So," she started, crossing her arms over her chest, "anything you'd like to share?"

After Stefan explained everything to us, we went back inside. One thought stood out amongst all the others running through my head. _Why does this town get weirder every day?_

As we were walking through the crowded halls, looking for Logan, Matt passed by us, and Elena stopped him, "Hey, have you seen Logan Fell, the news guy?"

Matt turned around, sending me a small smile, "Yeah. He just gave Caroline a ride home." He walked away, and we all turned to each other with concerned looks.

Stefan looked to Elena then to me, "Stay here," before turning on his heel and walking off. _Will things ever be normal? I think the answer to that is no._

Elena was talking to a friend of hers from class while I was nervously biting my nails. I just hoped Logan hadn't hurt Caroline and that Stefan got there quickly.

Elena tapped my shoulder, gesturing over to Stefan, who had just walked in before quickly rushing over to him.

"Caroline?" Elena asked, worry visible in her voice. "She's ok. I took her home," Stefan said as he turned around, walking away from everyone, Elena and I following after him.

"She was shaken up, but all she knows is Logan attacked her. Nothing else," Stefan said, to which Elena asked, "Where's Logan?"

"Damon's..." he nodded, "dealing with him." _Oh. Does he mean like-_

Elena voiced my thoughts, "As in..." Stefan nodded, confirming what we both thought. He turned to Elena, crossing his arms, "You saw what happened tonight, right? I mean, you understand why we can't... be together? You see it?"

At that moment, I felt like I should walk away and give them their privacy, but I didn't know how without making it weird.  
  
Elena nodded, pursing her lips, "Yeah, I'm starting to see a lot of things, Stefan. Come on, I'll, uh- I'll give you a ride."

He looked down to the floor, "Uh, I can get home." "I know," Elena said, and I just stood there, fiddling with the ends of my shirt. _This is so awkward. Can I just walk away now?_

"All right, that'd be nice," Stefan said, and they just stared at each other, little smiles on their faces. _Goodness, what are we in a book or something?_

Once they walked away, I wondered if I would ever have something like that. Something that I could fight for. I sighed, walking out of the school, ready to get home.

I started walking, trying to make sense of the thoughts swarming around in my mind. I thought about my parents, two people who I loved more than anything in the world. They weren't around anymore.

I don't know where they are or how they're doing, and I think that hurts more than anything else. I always wonder if they left because they had to protect me. Or did they leave because they didn't love me anymore?

I knew it most likely wasn't the latter, but can you blame me? The two most important people in my life just vanished one day. They didn't leave a note or a clue as to where they were or why they had to leave.

Also, what was this whole thing with _The Moon and the Sun Prophecy_? I hadn't got a chance to look over the scroll because of all of the crazy stuff happening.

Another thought popped up: my Aunt Lidia. She has been going to a lot of meetings, but when I asked about them, she would just shoot me down or laugh it off. Why can't anything be normal?

As I was thinking, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I stopped when I realized I was on a road I didn't know. Letting out a groan, I pulled out my phone, ready to call someone, only for a sign to pop up.

**_No Service!_ **

"God, can life get any worse?" I mumbled, shrugging off my backpack, glad I had brought it with me to Career Night. Ruffling through it, I tried to find the map of Mystic Falls to figure out where I was. Don't ask why I have a map. I just do, okay?

While I was looking through my bag, I heard a car pull up next to me. I ignored it, thinking they'd just pass by. When they didn't, I raised my head to see a very familiar blue 1969 Chevy Camaro Convertible.

I raised my head further and was met with another familiar blue thing, well, I should say things. Damon's eyes. He smirked at me before leaning over and opening the passenger door, "Need a ride?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed this chapter! the next will be out soon. bye, Diamond xx


	20. A Roadtrip to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roadtrips with homicidal vampires are supposed to be fun... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back, my loves! please read the note at the end,   
> diamond xx

I continued looking at the blue-eyed devil in front of me. He raised his eyebrows when I didn't respond. Shaking my head, I cleared my thoughts before standing up and shouldering my backpack.

"Now, why would I do that?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and narrowing my eyes at him.

He looked around, "Because you have no idea where you are, and it's the middle of the night. I'm only looking out for you, Y/N. Believe it or not, but I care about your well being."

I laughed, "Oh, wow! The infamous Damon Salvatore, the no-good vampire, cares about me. How shocking!"

"Okay then. I guess I'll leave you out here all by yourself in the middle of the night..." he said as he leaned over to close the passenger door.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, letting out a sigh, "Fine," I said, walking over and grabbing onto the door handle, "But no funny business."

His lips curled into a smirk as I sat down beside him, putting my bag down on the car floor. I turned to him, narrowing my eyes again, "Well, are you going to drive?"

"Buckle up."

Neither of us said anything while he was driving. I was looking out the window, taking in the passing scenery. Now and then, I felt Damon's eyes on me. Why he was looking at me, I didn't know.

I felt my eyes getting heavy from the lack of sleep. Right when I closed my eyes, Damon pressed on the brakes, sending me flying forward.

My eyes quickly opened as I gripped onto the dashboard before looking at Damon, "What the hell, Damon?"

There was a concentrated look on his face. He had his head tilted to the side, almost as if he was listening to something.

Damon got out of the car quickly, and I sat up, looking at him, confused, "Damon, where are you going?" He turned to me, "Stay here."

I started to get out of the car, "No, where are you going? You're not leaving me out here by myself."

He sent me a stern look, "Stay in the car. I'll be back." Sighing, he ran his hands down his face before walking over to me, "Y/N, stay here. Just wait."

Before I could even respond, he used his vamp speed to run to god knows where. I got back in the car and closed the door behind me.

_Goodness, nothing can be simple, can it?_

-

_Dear Journal,_

_Long time no see. Or should it be: long time, no write? I don't know. Everything has been sort of hectic lately. Oh, who am I kidding? It's all full out crazy._

_I feel like Aunt Lidia is hiding something from me. What are all these secret meetings she's been attending? Let's not forget about what Emily said to me when she had possessed Bonnie. What did she mean by "you're close to fulfilling the prophecy"?_

_The only good thing that has come out of today is Jeremy and I forgiving each other. Don't get me wrong, I still have deep feelings for him, but if all we can be right now is best friends, I can deal with that. Although it does hurt a little that my feelings aren't mutual, I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse._

_I want to scream. That sounds crazy, but I'm serious. Nothing has been making sense. Before school started, the only problems I had were high school, puberty, and my missing parents. Now I have all that plus vampires and witches._

_I think I'm done with my ranting now. I'll vent to you soon, probably._

_Farewell, Journal_

-

Sighing, I put the notebook and pencil in my bag. I drummed my fingers on the dashboard before leaning back into the seat behind me.

_Where did Damon go?_

It seemed as if the universe was listening to my thoughts. I noticed a figure walking over towards the car. I squinted my eyes, trying to make out their face. It looked like they were carrying someone in their arms bridal style.

As they got closer, I recognized the mystery person. I got out of the car, "Damon? Is that Elena?"

Once he was a few feet away from the car, I rushed over to him, noting the injuries on Elena, "Oh my goodness. Is she okay? What happened?"

"Hey," he said as I peered down at the unconscious brunette in his arms as he placed her in the back seat, laying her down gently.

"Damon, what happened? Did she get in an accident? Oh no, was anybody else hurt?" I rambled, panic creeping in.

"Y/N," Damon said, trying to get my attention, but I just shook my head, continuing to ramble on and on about how everything was going to absolute shit.

Damon sighed, and the next thing I know, his hand is covering my mouth as he looks down at me, "Calm down." I just stared up at him, not knowing what to do.

"I'm going to move my hand now, okay?" I nodded slowly, but before he moved it, he narrowed his eyes at me, "Don't start freaking out again."

I looked up at him and nodded again, signaling to him that I understood. He slowly removed his hand from my mouth. Once he saw that I wasn't about to freak out, he started talking, "It's fine. Elena is fine; she just got banged up a little."

Damon walked around the car to get to the driver's side. He raised an eyebrow at me when he noticed I was standing there, "Are you going to get in?"

I shook myself out of my daze before getting back in the car, casting a concerned look to Elena, who was still unconscious. He started driving again, and I noticed he had ridden past the hospital.

"Damon?" He hummed, turning to me, "You just rode past the hospital." He turned back to the road, "I know."

"What are you doing? We need to get Elena some help," I said, looking at him confused.

"She's fine. We're just going on a little road trip," Damon said as he tapped his fingers along the steering wheel.

"Damon, pull over," I said, crossing my arms. He just kept driving, ignoring me. "Damon, I'm serious, pull over."

"I'm about to jump out of this car," I said, to which he arrogantly replied, "Go ahead."

To prove to him that I would, not actually, I turned and reached for the door handle only for him to lock it. He turned to me, blue eyes twinkling mischievously, "Come on, it'll be fun. You're how old, and you've never skipped school or stayed out too late?"

"That doesn't matter. You need to take us home, and where would we be going anyway?"

Damon smirked, "I might need your help with something. Besides," he said, turning to me with a smile, "We need to rekindle our friendship."

"And who said I wanted that?"

"You haven't tried to get out of the car again," was all he said before turning his attention back on the road.

\---

Damon's POV

It had been about an hour since I had started driving. Granted, I know I should've just taken both girls home, but where's the fun in that?

Elena was still unconscious, but she didn't have anything broken, and she wasn't bleeding heavily, so all was fine. Although it took some persuasion and charm on my part, Y/N finally agreed to come with me.

Well, I wouldn't exactly say she agreed as much as she just decided to go along with it. I looked over to see her asleep, curled up with her arms wrapped protectively around herself.

_Huh, she must not trust me. Who am I kidding? I wouldn't trust myself either, not after all of the horrible things I've done._

She probably hates me, but maybe I can change that. If I weren't such an asshole most of the time, we would probably get along better.

I need to keep driving. We have a while until we get to where we need to be. I'll have to avoid the potholes so she'll sleep fine.

\---

Y/N's POV

I slowly opened my eyes as I felt myself waking up. Yawning, I stretched my arms above my head, only for my hands to hit the top of something.

My eyes shot open as I looked around my surroundings to find Damon sitting across from me driving. Once he noticed I was awake, he turned to me, pink lips curved into a smirk, "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

I just glared at him while rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Damon kept talking, "At least I now know what it'd be like waking up next to you."

I quickly dropped my hands and turned to the raven-haired man sitting beside me, "Yeah. That'll never happen."

"You never know," he said, winking at me, to which I just rolled my eyes. I looked out the window to see nothing but grass and trees.

"Morning," Damon said, and I noticed Elena was awake. She sat up, wincing as she held her head, "Where are we?"

"Georgia." That makes sense. We must be on the rural side, hence all the land and trees.

"Georgia?" Elena asked, confused, shaking her head, "No, no. No, we're not."

"Seriously, Damon. Where are we?" Elena said, and Damon turned to her, "Seriously, we're- we're in Georgia. How ya feeling?"

Elena stuttered a little, trying to figure out what to say. Damon spoke up instead, "There's no broken bones. I checked."

She looked from him to me, "My car. There was a man. I hit a man." My eyes widened as I turned to her, "You what?!"

Elena ignored me as she kept talking, "But then he got up and- who was that?" Damon shrugged, "That's what I would like to know."

"Where is my phone?" she said, patting her pockets, "Ok. We really need to go back. Nobody knows where we are."

"Pull over," she ran her hands through her hair, "I mean it, Damon. Pull over!"

After she basically screamed at him to stop, Damon rolled his eyes, "Oh, she was so much more fun when she was asleep, right?" I rolled my eyes too in response.

Elena tapped my seat to let her out when Damon pulled over on the side of the road. I got out, and she followed behind me. She winced, bending over in pain once she got out.

Damon and I shared a quick look before he sped over to her, holding her up, "Hey." She just stared at him before walking away, "I'm fine."

"We have to go back." I mean Elena wasn't wrong. We did have to go back, or at least (I don't know) tell someone we were alive.

"Oh, come on. Look. We've already come this far," Damon said, smirking at her before sending a wink in my direction, making me scrunch my face up in disgust.

"Why are you doing this? I can't be in Georgia. I wrecked my car. I have to go home. This is kidnapping," Elena rambled. Again, she wasn't wrong.

"That's a bit melodramatic, don't you think?" Damon tilted his head. Why does he have to make everything a joke?

"You're not funny," Elena shook her head, "You can't do this. I'm not," she turned to me, "We're not going to Georgia."

Damon leaned against his car, arms crossed and a smirk on his face, "Well, you're in Georgia." Elena looked around, taking in our surroundings. He continued, "Without your magic little necklace, I might add."

Elena's hand immediately flew to her neck, her necklace, indeed, missing. "I could very easily make you... agreeable," Damon smirked.

"Don't you dare," I said, finally speaking after watching the two of them bickering. Damon's smirk only seemed to grow if that was even possible.

"What are you trying to prove?" Elena asked, but before Damon could answer her (or taunt her), a phone started ringing.

I didn't know where the sound was coming from until Elena glared at Damon, "That's my phone." He pulled it from his back pocket and looked down at the caller ID, "Mmm. It's your boyfriend."

He held the phone out to the brunette, who didn't take it, so he answered it and held it to his ear, "Elena's phone." I couldn't hear what Stefan was saying, so I turned to Elena, an eyebrow raised.

"Why don't you want to talk to Stefan," I mouthed to her when she looked in my direction. She looked down, sighing before mouthing back, "I'll explain later."

"Elena? She's right here. And, yes, she's fine." Damon turned to Elena, raising his eyebrows and smirking at her. Why does he always do that?

Damon tried to hand the phone off to her, but Elena only shook her head, "Uh uh." He put the phone back to his ear, and I could hear the sarcasm dripping off his words, "Yeah, I don't- I don't think she wants to talk to you right now."

"You have a good day. Mm-hmm. Bye-now." I rolled my eyes for what felt like the hundredth time this morning. I don't know what happened between Elena and Stefan, but it couldn't have been good if she's ignoring him.

Elena's voice caught my attention, "-we please just go back?" Damon tried reasoning with her, "We're almost there."

She glanced at me then back to Damon, "Where is there?" I was wondering the same thing. I know we're in Georgia, but why?

"A little place right outside of Atlanta," he stepped forward, "Oh, come on, Elena, you don't wanna go back right now. Do you?"

"What's the rush? Time-out," he said, making a 'T' with his hands, "Trust me. Your problems are still going to be there when you get home."

Elena was still unconvinced, so Damon tried persuading her, "Look. Step away from your life for 5 minutes. 5 minutes. Besides..." he trailed off, tilting his head and smirking at me, "You wouldn't want to leave Y/N all alone, now would you?"

Elena sighed, turning around, walking a few steps before turning back to Damon, "Am I- are we going to be safe with you?" Damon quickly responded with a 'yes.'

"You promise not to do that mind control thing with me?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, to which Damon responded with another 'yes.'

"Can I trust you?" she asked, but this time Damon only said, "Get in the car. Come on." He walked off and went back to the car.

Elena turned to me, sighing, "I can't believe we're going through with this." I shrugged, nodding over to the car, "I mean, what's the worse that can happen?"

\---

I was sitting in the back now. Elena took my spot at the front. In complete honesty, I didn't mind at all. Damon was, how to put it, ah yes, annoying. The more space, the better.

They were talking about Elena's car, but I didn't join the conversation, just looking out the window. So many thoughts were roaming through my head. It was like a circus in there.

My phone buzzed lightly in my pocket, so I pulled it out. It was a text from Jeremy: _Hey, why aren't u @ school today? Are u sick? Do I need to stop by later?_

I smiled down at my phone. I'm glad we made up yesterday. As much as Jeremy gets on my nerves, he will always be my little Jer Bear. We've been best friends for so long, and I can't imagine life without him.

I started typing back: _Hey, Jer Bear. I'm fine. You don't have to check on me later :)_

Not even a minute later, my phone buzzed again, another text from him coming in.

\- Jeremy: _I thought I told you to stop calling me that & are u sure? I don't mind._

I held in the laugh bubbling at the back of my throat, typing a response: _And when do I ever listen to you, but I'm sure and besides... aren't you supposed to be in class right now, paying attention?_

\- Jeremy: _Yeah, yeah. But if u need me, just let me know_

_Of course, bye Jer Bear, love you <3_

He responded with a ' _love you too, rat._ ' How lovely it is to be called a rat by Jeremy Gilbert. Did you hear the sarcasm there? No? Okay then.

The car swerved off to the side, and I lifted my head away from my phone. I looked out the window and noticed Damon parked across from a building that said 'Bree's Bar.'

A bar? What could he possibly need from a bar? More importantly, why does he need us?

"Where are we? You brought us to a bar?" Elena asked as Damon got out of the car. I got out after she did, and we just shared a knowing look, "Damon, we're not old enough."

"Yeah, they're not going to let us in," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "Sure they will," Damon said, nodding over to the building, clapping.

I closed the door and took in a deep breath, turning to Elena, "Well, here we go."

We entered the bar, and music immediately flooded my ears. I looked around. The bar had a sort of rustic theme, giving it an old-fashioned type of feel. It was cozy.

There was a woman with long, curly hair cleaning off the bar counter. Elena and I stood close together, eyes wandering around. Damon, on the other hand, was rubbing his hands together as we approached the bar.

The woman turned around, eyes on Damon, the light above making her gold earring shine, "No. No, it can't be."

"Damon." She turned her body to get a better look at him, and I leaned over to Elena, whispering, "How do you think they know each other?"

The woman, whose name we still haven't heard, jumped over the counter and strode over to Damon. That was when I noticed how tall she was. She towered over Elena and me, Damon too.

"My honey pie," her voice was unique. It was like honey, but with a certain amount of bitterness to it. She grabbed Damon's face in her hands and kissed him.

He was kissing her back with the same amount of intensity. I turned to Elena, a shocked look on my face. Her brown eyes were just as wide as mine.

When the two pulled away, I felt out a breath of relief, thinking they finished, but no, life doesn't work that way. They pulled each other back in, continuing.

-

"Listen up, everybody!" Bree said, grabbing ahold of a bottle of alcohol, raising it to the crowd, "Here's to the man that broke my heart," she started pouring a round of shots, "crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness!"

She grabbed four of the shot glasses, two in each hand, bringing them over to us. She placed one in front of Damon and one for Elena and me, "Drink up!"

Damon reached over and discreetly grabbed the glasses from Elena and me when he noticed we weren't going to drink it.

"Ahh. Whoo!" Bree winced, setting down her glass. It must've been something strong or too bitter. When she turned around, Damon quickly slid the empty glasses back over to us.

"So," Bree started, raising an eyebrow at Elena, "how'd he rope you in?" She poured more alcohol in Elena's cup, "I'm not roped in. Actually, I'm dating his-"

Bree interrupted her, "Honey, if you're not roped, you're whipped." She turned to me, tilting her head, "Same goes for you."

I shook my head, laughing, "No, definitely not. We're just friends, well not even that." I felt Damon's eyes on me, but I pretended that I didn't.

"Damon has his way of making anyone fall for him even if they don't want to," the eccentric woman said, giving me a knowing look before sending a wink to Damon.

"Either way, just enjoy the ride," she smiled. Elena nodded, "Ok. So, how did you two meet?"

Bree laughed, "College." Elena and I shared a look. There was no way Damon went to college.

"You went to college?" Elena asked, turning to Damon. "I've been on a college campus, yes," he raised his drink to his lips.

"About 20 years ago, when I was a sweet, young freshman. I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love." Elena smiled, listening to Bree talk, "And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him even more."

I wonder what that's like, loving someone, or having someone love you. I've never really experienced it. Of course, I love my friends (the few that I have) and my family, but I've never romantically loved anyone.

"Because, you see," Bree continued, "I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody."

_Now, I'm intrigued. I wonder what it was._

Damon leaned over to and whispered, very loudly if I do say so myself, "She's a witch." Bree nodded, "Changed my world."

"I rocked your world," he said, making Bree laugh before turning to Elena and me, "He is good in the sack, isn't he?"

My mouth fell open in shock, and Elena looked over to Damon uncomfortably. I was not expecting her to say that so...bluntly.

"But mostly he's just a walkaway-Joe," Bree said, throwing back a shot. "So," she started, "what is it that you want?"

\---

Elena had stepped outside to talk to Jenna, who had been calling to see where she was. I was going to call my aunt, but it seemed as if she didn't even know I was gone.

She sent me a simple text about not waiting on her as she had a meeting to attend. I asked what she was doing there, but she just said it was nothing important, and I shouldn't worry. I just ignored her message, not responding. I don't understand. What are all these meetings she's attending? Are they witchy meetings or something else?

Damon was talking to Bree about something over to the side, leaving me alone at the bar, but I didn't mind. I tapped my fingers on my phone as I looked around. There weren't many people here. It sounds weird, but I sort of already knew Bree was a witch before Damon told us. I got a certain vibe from her. Along with that, I felt this weird feeling at the back of my neck. It was almost like when you're in danger, but you don't know what or where the threat is.

Footsteps headed my way, and I turned to see Bree approaching me. She reached for a bottle of what looked like whiskey, pouring herself a cup, "Want some?" I shook my head, "No, but thank you." She tilted her head at me, "I can sense what you are." I looked around to make sure no one else was listening before leaning closer to her, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she drank from the glass, "you and I are just the same. We're witches."

I furrowed my brows together, "How do you know?" I felt something with her, but I didn't know she felt anything with me.

"Powerful witches have a very strong aura. Yours is muted, but I can feel it," she said, drinking from her cup again. "The other reason I knew is because of your marks."

I instantly looked down at my arms. _Does she know about the prophecy?_ I raise my head to meet her smile, "Can you tell me anything about it?'

Bree sighed, pushed a curly lock of hair from her face, "Sadly, I don't know much about, but I will say that you should be careful."

I looked down, confused. _What does this mean?_

"Listen," she said, grabbing my hand, "never turn a blind eye to anything suspicious, even if it's from someone you think you can trust."

She looked around, and I did the same. I noticed Damon was outside with Elena. Bree quickly stood up, patting my shoulder before grabbing a phone and making her way to the back.

Bree started the blender, but I didn't think anything of it as she pulled the phone up to her ear. Maybe it was a private call, and she didn't want anyone, for example, me, to be listening.

After a little bit, Damon and Elena came back in, and we ordered some food. I left them to go to the bathroom. I was washing my hands when my phone started to buzz in my pocket.

Grabbing a few paper towels, I dried off my hands before pulling out my phone. Stefan was calling. _Oh, that's right. He doesn't know I'm here with Damon and Elena._

"Hello?"

I heard a sigh of relief come from the other line, _"Oh, thank goodness. Where are you? I need your help."_

I let out a sigh, but it wasn't one of relief, "I'm..." I looked around the bathroom, "Don't be mad at me, but... I'm with Damon and Elena."

There was silence. I started nervously rubbing my hands together while holding my phone to my ear with my shoulder.

 _"Why are you- that doesn't matter. I need your help- it's Bonnie,"_ he said, and I had to ignore this sheer disappointment in his words. I didn't even think about how anyone else would feel before I hopped the gun and went along with Damon.

"I'm sorry, Stefan. I wasn't thinking," I said, peeking my head out of the bathroom to see if anyone was near. Honestly, I wasn't. Why would I agree to go somewhere with a vampire who has attacked and killed people?

Definitely not my best moment.

_"We'll talk about that later. Have you heard from Bonnie?"_

I shook my head before remembering that he couldn't see me, "No, I haven't. What's going on, Stefan?"

He sighed, _"I don't know. Look, I have to go, but I'll let you know what happens later."_

"Okay..." I'm confused now. _Did something bad happen?_

 _"Oh, and Y/N?"_ I hummed to let him know he had my attention, _"Please stay safe. Damon's... well, he's Damon."_

"Okay, I will. Bye Stefan," and with that, he hung up. I pocketed my phone, sighing before making my way out of the bathroom.

When I made it back to the bar, Bree was handing Damon another beer. I didn't pay much attention to it, that man could drink any type of alcohol and not get any side effects. _Perks to being dead, huh?_

What I did pay attention to was Elena telling Bree that she'd take one. I was not expecting that. Damon turned to her, raising his eyebrows, "Hmm?"

"Time out, remember?" Elena said, repeating what Damon had said earlier, making a 'T' with her hands, "For 5 minutes?"

"I never pegged you as the alcohol is a stress reliever type, Elena," I said, sliding on the seat next to her. She shrugged, "Yeah, well, that 5 minutes is going to need a beer."

"There you go." Bree came back and handed Elena her beer. She glanced at me to see if I wanted one, and I just shook my head. Alcohol isn't really my cup of tea. Not that I've ever had any, but you know what I mean.

Elena held up her bottle and turned to Damon, the two of them clinking their bottles together. She took a deep breath before putting it to her lips, drinking it and wincing at the bitter taste.

\---

I don't even know how much time had passed. When I looked outside, the sun had set, and the sky darkened, so I assumed it was a few hours.

Elena's time-out was longer than just 5 minutes. Her and Damon, along with some other people, were lined up at the bar throwing back shots. I was sitting off to the side, a bottle of water in hand, watching.

_Why did I even agree to come? Oh, that's right, I'm an idiot. A major idiot._

Having had enough of sitting there doing nothing, I made my way outside. The air was less stuffy out here. I could finally breathe.

I was tying my shoe when I saw someone's shadow as they came near me. Lifting my head, I noticed it was a man. I was turning to go back inside when he bumped into me, and a wave of negative energy came from him.

He threw a 'sorry' to me before entering the bar. I continued watching him until I couldn't see him anymore. I don't know who he was, but something didn't sit right with me.

_Who was he, and why did he seem so dangerous? Can I go anywhere without feeling like something bad is going to happen? I think not._

I heard someone come outside, but I ignored it, thinking it was just someone leaving. It sounded like they fell, and I looked over to see Elena getting up.

Just as I was about to walk over, someone rushed up behind her. They placed their hand over her mouth, muffling her words. I stopped, looking around frantically to see if there was something I could do.

I saw a small rock, hey, you have to make do with what you have. Picking it up, I swung my arm back and launched it at the man holding her making him turn around to me with an angry expression.

_Oh no. Probably not the best idea, but what was I supposed to do? Just stand there?_

He let go of Elena and started making his way over to me. I backed up, tripping over a brick, but quickly getting up. I'm not like the other girls in scary movies.

The man bared his fangs and lunged at me, making me hit my head on the brick wall. I could hear Elena call my name as I tried to sit up, black dots swarming my vision. I felt someone pick me up before the blackness took over.

"Y/N..." I shook my head, groaning, allowing myself to slip under again. "Y/N..." I winced as I slowly opened my eyes.

There was a sharp, throbbing pain in my head, and it hurt every time I moved or even blinked.

"Y/N," the voice from earlier said, and I groggily turned the speaker. It was Elena. I opened my mouth to speak, but I could hear footsteps approaching, so I stayed quiet.

I start nodding off again when Elena's voice brought me back, "Damon, no." Damon? What's going on? I can't think straight.

I let my eyes close, the throbbing in my head growing more and more. I flinched when I heard a yell - it sounded like Damon. There were more yells, and I knew I needed to get up.

Sitting up, I held a hand to my head to lessen the pain. I looked around and saw Elena running up to two people. The person standing was pouring... gasoline? on someone who was on the ground. Wait... that's Damon.

The man turned around, baring his fangs at Elena as he had earlier, eyes bloodshot red and veins creeping onto his face. Elena backed off, and he turned around, continuing to pour gasoline on Damon.

"Who are you?" Damon coughed out as I rose from my spot, wanting to throw up from the sudden change.

"That's perfect. You have no idea." The man seethed at Damon. Oh goodness. What did Damon do this time?

"What are you talking about? What did he do?" Elena asked frantically. She said what I was thinking. "He killed my girlfriend," the man said, making everyone go silent.

I continued making my down the steps, wincing at each move I made. It was like someone had whacked me over the head with a sledgehammer.

"What did she do to you, huh? What did she do to you?!" With every word, the man's voice grew louder as he poured the rest of the gasoline in the container on Damon.

Damon was breathing heavily, "Nothing." Elena spoke up, "I don't understand."

"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan, and Damon killed her," the man explained, turning around to face Elena, "Got it?"

Wait... is he talking about-

"Lexi?" Elena asked, "Lexi was your girlfriend? She told me about you. She said that you were human."

I remember that. But wait- isn't he a vampire? It seemed as if everyone was answering my thoughts today.

"I was," he said simply, before turning around and pulling what looked like a lighter out of his pocket.

"Lexi turned you?" He paused, "If you want to be with someone forever, you have to live forever."

Damon was starting to get up, but his groaning gave him away. The man quickly turned around and kicked him, sending him back to the ground.

I finally made it down the steps after what felt like an eternity. Elena caught me before I fell as she tried reasoning with the man, "She loved you! She said, 'When it's real, you can't walk away.'"

There were tears in his eyes as he spoke, "Well, that's a choice you're not going to have to make."

Elena pleaded with him, "Don't. Don't, please, don't hurt him-" Her begging didn't go very far because the man lit a match, the flame dancing around tauntingly, "I'm doing you a favor."

"Lexi loved you. And she was good. That means you're good, too," Elena shook her head, "Be better than him."

"Don't do this. I'm begging you! Please." He turned to us, face scrunched in anger as tears brimmed in his eyes.

I continued to lean on Elena. My eyes were closed since having them open was making my head hurt worse. She wrapped her arm around me, so I didn't fall. There was some shuffling before a loud bang sounded.

"Thank you," Elena said softly. Was she crying? "It wasn't for you," the man said before he ran off. Well, I'm assuming he did because it sounded like it.

Elena sat me down and tapped the side of my face lightly, "Hey, Y/N. Stay right here, okay? I'll be right back." I made an incoherent noise which seemed to be enough for her.

I opened my eyes a little and saw her running over to Damon. _Oh, that's what the bang was._

I closed my eyes for the hundredth time, letting the sleep come over. I was in no shape to try and keep myself awake.

\---

I turned over, a ray of sun in my eyes stirring me awake. Whatever I was on was rocking slightly, almost lulling me back to sleep. Blinking my eyes open slowly, I noticed I was in a car.

 _Huh? Oh, that's right_.

Damon turned in his seat and smirked at me, "Morning, Sleeping Beauty."

I yawned as I sat up, wincing when a sharp pain filled my head. "Oww," I groaned, pressing down on my head to relieve some of the tension.

"How do you feel?" Elena asked, a gentle smile on her face. I shut my eyes briefly before looking at her, "It feels like someone hit me on the head with a sledgehammer."

She scrunched her face up, "That bad, huh?" I nodded, leaning forward so that I could get the bright rays of the sun from my face.

"So," she started, turning to Damon, "why did you bring us with you?"

"Yeah," I said, clearing my throat when I heard how scratchy it was, "why not just take us home?"

He sighed, "Well, you're not the worst company in the world, Elena," he turned to her with a grin. She tilted her head at him, the slightest hint of a smile on her face.

"You should give yourself more credit," he looked back to the road. Elena and I shared a scoff, _"Seriously?"_

"You know, you were there in the road all damsel in distress-like. And I knew it would piss off Stefan. And... you're not the worst company in the world, Elena."

Humming, I held back my laugh, "And what about me?" I was curious. I get why he took Elena with him, but why me? Not to be harsh on myself or anything, but I'm not all that special.

"Honestly?" he asked, looking at me in the rear-view mirror, and I nodded.

"Well, for one, you were a damsel in distress too," he said, making me roll my eyes, "Secondly..." he paused as if he was trying to find the right words "Believe it or not, but I want to be friends with you. Of course, you'd have to be more accepting and less judgmental..."

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but he beat me to it, "But if you were interested, we'd have a pretty cool friendship if I say so myself." He grinned at me, but I could tell it was genuine, not one of his sarcastic ones.

I smiled back a little before he accidentally hit a pothole, and I winced. He apologized, stifling a laugh before turning back to the road.

Damon and Elena continued talking as I just sat back in listened. Once the pain in my head died down, I looked outside at the passing scenery. The songs on the radio played while I thought about a few things.

One, what was going on with Bonnie, and why did Stefan need me? Two, is my Aunt Lidia ever going to tell me the truth about these secret meetings she's been going to?

Lastly, could Damon and I actually be friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, my loves. i deeply apologize for not uploading on here in a while. as i've said before, i upload mainly on wattpad, so sometimes it slips my mind that you guys are waiting as well. also, for a month or two, i was in a rut and couldn't write anything that i liked. however, i'm definitely feeling better and am ready to show you guys what's next. i hope everyone is staying safe and doing well. i love you all,  
> diamond xx


	21. Suspicions and Internalized Misogyny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how are you guys doing today?

The light from outside was streaming through the open blinds of the window. I sighed, massaging my temples before concentrating again.

I had been practicing my magic since I woke up. For some reason, I couldn't do anything. I could barely even light a candle with the wave of my hand. It probably had something to do with the fact that Aunt Lidia and I got into a huge argument.

\---

_ Flashback _

_I walked into the kitchen to grab some snacks. My aunt was there, on the phone, speaking quietly, "No, I haven't gotten far, but-"_

_She stopped talking when she saw me, "Listen, I've got to go. Look, we'll talk later."_

_I eyed her suspiciously as I grabbed some pop-tarts from the cabinet above the microwave. She looked over to me, leaning against the countertop, "Hey, kiddo."_

_"Who were you on the phone with?" I asked, opening the silver packet and taking out one of the pop-tarts. Aunt Lidia chuckled, "No one. Anyways, have you-"_

_"Why do you keep brushing me off?" I was sick of this. It's okay for her to have her secrets or personal things, but I don't have a good feeling about whatever she's hiding from me._

_Aunt Lidia raised an eyebrow,"What do you mean?" I scoffed, shaking my head, "_ **_Seriously?_ ** _You're going to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about?"_

_She turned to me, narrowing her eyes, a heavy breath escaping her mouth, "Look, kid." Her voice was stern, but that didn't phase me, "I don't have to tell you anything, and besides, nothing is going on."_

_I rolled my eyes, setting down my pop-tarts, "I just find it a little weird that after you come to town, unannounced might I add, you start sneaking around."_

_She laughed. She freaking laughed. "Listen, Y/N. I'm a grown adult, and you're just a child whose parents left them without a word. I don't have to tell you anything."_

_I just stared at her, the weight of her words slowly crashing on me. Aunt Lidia didn't even seem regretful for what she said. She only turned around and grabbed her bag._

_"I've got stuff to do. Don't wait up," and with that, my ever so lovely aunt walked out of the door._

\---

I couldn't believe she had said that to me. It'd be different if she weren't my aunt or someone I'm close to, but she is. I think that hurt way more because she knows how I feel about them not being around.

I let that emotion I had pent up earlier be the fuel to my magic. The words _'just a child whose parents let them without a word'_ rang through my head, and I could feel the power surging inside of me.

Closing my eyes, I placed my hands back over the three candles sitting in front of me. Deep breath. _Inscendia._

Heat blossomed below my hands, and I opened my eyes to see all three candles with orange and red fiery little dancers. I raised my hands, and the flames grew taller.

A smile crossed my face, and I was about to practice more magic when a sound came from near my door. Looking up, I saw Jeremy standing in my doorway, a shocked expression on his face.

I quickly stood up, clearing my throat, "Um, hey, Jer. What are you doing here?"

He tilted his head at me, hair falling into his eyes, "How did you do that?" _Oh no. Can today get any worse?_

Feigning confusion, I looked to him and raised an eyebrow, "Do what?" He laughed through his nose, gesturing to the candles, "That. How did you do that?"

I lifted my arm and pinched the bridge of my nose before directing my attention back to the brown-haired boy in front of me. "I'll explain, but you can't freak out, okay?"

He nodded and sat down on my bed. I followed him before taking a deep breath. "Okay, so..."

I told him about my parents, how they practiced magic, and how I was a witch. I told him about, well, everything except about the whole vampire thing. That would be a little hard to explain.

He sat back, leaning against the pillows on my bed, "Wow." I looked at him warily. _Was he shocked? Well, of course, he was, but what did this mean? Did he still want to be friends?_

I figured I had accidentally voiced my last thought because he looked at me, confused, "Of course I still want to be friends. It's actually really cool that my best friend is a witch."

"Really?" He nodded, smiling, "Yeah. I wouldn't stop being friends with you because of that. I'm a pretty special guy if I do say so myself."

I hummed, "And why is that?" He wrapped an arm around me, bringing me to lay down beside him, "Because I have an amazing witchy best friend. Besides," he turned to me, with a mischievous look, "You can help me pass all of my tests."

_Only Jeremy._

I shook my head, laughing before turning to him, "Hey, Jer," he looked at me, "What'd you come over for?"

Jeremy sat up, brown eyes meeting mine, "Well, I wanted to check on you, and yes, I know you said you were fine, but still."

I placed a hand to my heart, gasping dramatically, "Oh me, oh my. Aren't I special?" We both looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before bursting into a fit of laughter.

I tried talking in between laughs, which, might I add, is not as easy as it seems, "But, really, is that the only reason?"

Jeremy nodded, "Yep. Oh, wait. I met this girl, Anna, yesterday at the library when I was doing research for my project." I raised an eyebrow, ignoring the mention of the girl, "What project?"

"Mr. Saltzman, the new teacher, gave me a clean slate. He said I could bump my grades up by doing a research paper on something locally. I definitely like him a lot more than Coach Tanner."

 _Coach Tanner._ I haven't heard that name in a while. I had to stop myself from visibly wincing as a flashback as to what actually happened to him came up.

I looked over to the clock on my wall, standing up, "You can keep talking, but if we don't leave now, we'll be late for school." I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my bag before blowing out the flickering flames of the candles.

"I finished my essay. I wrote it on the "vampires" in the town." I stopped walking, hand gripping onto the strap of my bag.

Jeremy turned and noticed I wasn't beside him anymore, "Everything okay?" I shook my head, clearing my thought, "Yeah, everything's fine. Just a little out of it."

"Do you need to stay home again?" There was a concerned look on his face. "As much as I would like that, I'm fine," I sent a smile his way to convince him.

Truthfully, I wanted to be anywhere but home. After what happened with my aunt, I definitely didn't want to run into her. Also, being at home meant my thoughts could roam freely, and that is _never_ a good thing.

"You don't think all that stuff is real, right?" I asked, looking over at him. He shrugged, "I mean, you're a witch, so couldn't that be real?"

"I mean, yeah, but come on. Vampires? It just doesn't make sense." It did make sense, and they were real, but there was no way I was letting him know that. I know firsthand what happens when you get involved in all the craziness Mystical Falls had to offer.

"I don't know, but over the years, there have been dozens of unexplained animal attacks, and whatever attacked them drained them completely of their blood."

Yeah, 'animal attacks.'

"Well, all I have to say is try not to get too caught up in it, okay?" He laughed at me, and I sighed, "I'm serious, Jer. People have gone crazy to prove something that doesn't exist is real."

"Okay, okay. I'll be careful."

\---

School was simple, for the most part. To my surprise, nothing crazy happened. By crazy, I mean witches, weird prophecies, or going on road trips with a homicidal vampire.

Today is my first day working. I'm nervous, but not at the same time. The only thing worrying me is accidentally bringing someone who ordered spaghetti, a burger or spilling food or a drink on them. Now _that_ would not be good.

I headed into the Grill and looked around for Andy, the guy who showed me the ropes the first time I came in. I turned around, ready to find somewhere else, but to my luck, I collided with someone.

A crash sounded, and I wanted to melt into a puddle of embarrassment. I immediately bent down, helping the person pick up the broken pieces of glass. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you."

He laughed, and I looked up, eyes meeting brown hair. Looking at his face, I recognized him from somewhere. "It's alright, you didn't mean to, but be careful," he said when I picked a sharp piece.

"I'm so clumsy sometimes. I really am sorry," we both stood up. The guy, whose name I still don't know, eyed me curiously, "It's fine, really. Are you Y/N, by any chance?"

I nodded my head. He must work here. He held out a hand, "Ben McKittrick." I shook his hand, remembering him from school. He graduated two years ago, I think.

"Andy's not in today, but I'll show you what to do." And he did. Ben showed me what to do, and surprisingly I didn't screw up. He worked up at the bar, so we didn't interact that much besides in passing.

I had just gotten back from a bathroom break, and yes, I washed my hands; when I saw two familiar people eating together. Everyone in the Grill seemed fine and didn't need my help, so I made my way over.

"-believe you're adopted," Bonnie said as I was approaching. _Wait- what? Elena's adopted?_

"You're adopted?" Both heads turned to me. Elena sighed, "Yes, very weird, I know."

"That doesn't make sense," I shook my head. "So does that mean Jeremy-"

She seemed to understand what I was thinking because she shook her head, "No, technically, he isn't. But don't tell him that. I still don't know what all of this means."

I nodded, "Of course, I won't." I heard someone walk in and sit down at a table. "Listen, I have to go, but we'll talk later."

They both nodded, and I went to take the person's order. I wrote down their order, very carefully, and took it to the kitchen.

While I was waiting for their food, I thought back to the conversation Stefan and I had at lunch.

\---

_ Flashback _

_I left class, stomach rumbling slightly from hunger. It's funny to me how sometimes we don't feel hungry until it's time for us to eat. Or maybe it's just me. I don't know._

_I made my way outside, squinting from the bright sun. Looking around, I spotted Elena and Caroline eating at a table. I would've walked over, but I wasn't in the mood for much talking._

_As we all know, things never seem to go in my favor. Just as I was about to sit under my usual tree, Stefan came up to me. "Hey, can we talk?"_

_I nodded, and we made our way over to an empty table away from everyone else. After I pulled out my lunch, it was silent between us. Comfortable silence is so overrated._

_"So," I started at the same time he said, "I just-"_

_We both paused, staring at each other before he cracked a grin. I laughed a little, glad that we had lifted some of the tension._

_We started talking at the same time again, so I just allowed him to take the floor. "I'm sorry if yesterday it seemed like I was mad at you."_

_I shook my head, "If you were, I don't blame you. I wasn't thinking."_

_He shook his head too, "No, I don't think you were." I scoffed, feigning hurt, "Wow, and here I really thought you were on my side."_

_"But seriously," he said, a stern look on his face, "I was worried about you. I know you're capable of handling yourself, but I know my brother."_

_"I'm sorry, Stefan. It's just that everything has been so hectic lately. A few months ago, things were okay, not the best, but they were fine. Now..." I sighed, looking up at him, "Now, everything is crazy, and I just needed one moment away. I needed to do something_ _ different _ _."_

_Stefan nodded, "I understand. Believe me. I do, but being with Damon means being in danger, and if something had happened to you and Elena earlier, I would've killed him."_

_I raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm serious. I would have." "Well..." I trailed off, unsure of how to tell him about Damon and me._

_"What is it?"_

_I fumbled over my words, "Well, uh- so." Stefan raised an eyebrow. Goodness, I am so weird, but this isn't anything new._

_"Damon and I are friends now?" While we did agree to start over, I don't know if that constituted us as being friends or not. Stefan seemed to mull over that thought for a little bit before looking at me._

_"Well," he started with a sigh, "although I don't trust him completely, I do trust you. But please be careful around him. I really don't want to have to dispose of his body."_

\---

I grabbed the person's order and brought it over to them. I looked back over to where Elena and Bonnie's table was to see Elena gone, and Bonnie talking to Damon.

Oh, geez. I hope Damon's not bothering her. Even though he's nice to me doesn't mean he extends that courtesy to everyone. I was about to walk over and intervene when Ben approached.

I don't know what he said, but Damon walked off. That's not like him, but then again, we are in public, so maybe, he didn't want to create a scene.

For the rest of the night, I took everyone's orders with Breanna, one of the other workers. Once my shift was over, I headed home, but I couldn't shake that feeling that something was wrong.

Seeing as how every time I get this feeling, something happens, I am going to go on a crutch and say something's going to happen. _Does that make sense? No, okay then._

**_Mission:_ ** _Make sense with your words and not sound like an idiot_   
**_Points:_ ** _-100_   
**_ Failed _ **

When I got home, I passed by my aunt in the living room. I paused before going upstairs. It seems like she's not going to be the mature one, so I have to.

I stepped into the living room and stood in the entryway, arms crossed over my chest. Aunt Lidia looked up and quickly closed whatever book she was reading. Here she goes again, hiding things, but you know what? I'm going to ignore it.

"What are you doing home so late?" Is she serious? I really hope she's not.

I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" Aunt Lidia sighed, standing up and pinching the bridge of her nose, "Look, kid. I get it. You're a teenager, and you feel like you have to rebel, but-"

"Rebel? How am I rebelling?" See what happens when I try to be peaceful and smooth things over?

"Staying out late, going off places, god knows where, and not telling me about it."

Wait a minute-

"I know things are hard right now, especially with your parents not being around, but that's no excuse for you to be acting this way."

I scoffed, "Are you serious?" When she didn't respond, I kept talking, "I just got home from my first shift at the Grill, you know, my job. And what do you mean by going off places? I haven't gone anywhere."

"You were with that guy who came by here on Halloween. What's his name? Right, Damon. You went off with him and didn't even tell me about it."

She shouldn't know about that. She wasn't even here, so how would she know I didn't come home.

"I understand that I'm the cool aunt or whatever, but I still expect some respect," she said, continuing to talk. I wasn't even paying attention to her words anymore. There was no way for her to have known I was with Damon. I didn't tell her, and I know he hadn't.

"Y/N?" She snapped her fingers in front of my face, "Are you even listening to me?"

I nodded, "Yes, I'm listening. I'm sorry." _No, I'm not._ "But I'll do better." _No promises._

"Also," she said as I looked at her, "I'm going to need you to understand that I have parts of my life that you don't need to know about." _Yeah, because that's not suspicious at all._

I nodded, turning around to leave when she stopped me. It took a lot of restraint ( _okay, not that much_ ) to hold in the groan. I was just ready to do my homework, take a shower, and sleep. But no, as we all know, fate is _never_ on my side, and I'm starting to get sick of it.

"Don't go snooping around, either."

_Oh, sweet Aunt Lidia, I'm definitely going to be doing that. You're hiding something, and I'm going to find it._

\---

I woke up early this morning, so I decided to practice some magic before heading in for my shift. My hours are short today, but I'm not complaining.

I pretty much have pyrokinesis down pack, but I want to focus my attention on nature-based magic. I could hear my aunt snoring, so I crept downstairs quietly.

I don't know what's going on with her, but she has not-so-good energies around her. It's most likely because we haven't been on the best of terms, but whatever's surrounding her, I don't want it.

I went out to the front yard and sat down on the grass. Thankfully, there was no one outside. If someone saw me, they'd probably think I was weird.

_Well, I am, but we're not going to talk about that._

I crossed my legs, criss cross applesauce style. _Yes, I still say that. Who doesn't?_ Closing my eyes, I let myself focus on the different energies around me.

There was energy everywhere, in everything, but some of the strongest came from the sun and the soil. I placed my hand onto the ground, pressing my fingers into the crumbly soil.

I could feel the low vibrations of the energy in the soil and pressed deeper, feeling the fallen leaves around me slowly rise. I started to feel a little light-headed but pushed it aside, wanting to see how far I could go.

I opened my eyes and saw the leaves previously on the ground swirling above me. It brought a little smile to my face. I felt something dripping down my face but just shrugged it off as a raindrop until it dropped on my leg.

Looking down, a speck of blood met my eyes, then another, and another. I rose my hand up to my nose and touched something liquidy.

_Oh no, is that-_

I pulled my fingers away from my nose and looked down at the red liquid on my fingertips. So, this is what happens when I try overworking myself.

The leaves fell back to the ground as I wiped my nose, fingers covered in blood. _Yeah, that's all for today. I need to get ready for work._

I cleaned my face and made some breakfast when I got back inside. I yawned as I made my way back upstairs to change my clothes.

Checking the time, I noticed I had about 25 minutes before my shift started, so I grabbed my bag and made my way back downstairs. As I was about to walk out the door, I noticed my aunt quietly talking on the phone.

I didn't say anything, but as soon as I had time, and she wasn't around, I was going to do some snooping. I have my suspicions about her.

I hopped on my bike and made my way to the Grill. Once I made it inside, I was happy to see there weren't many people here. I went to clock in and got to work. After an hour and a half, I took a bathroom break and saw a familiar face.

"Hey, Jer Bear." I walked up to Jeremy, who was at the pool table. He grinned at, pulling me in for a quick hug, "Hey, Y/N. I've missed you."

I rolled my eyes as we pulled away. "You saw me yesterday." He grabbed the 8-ball, twirling it around, "That's too long."

"Yeah, yeah. If you need me, just let me know." He nodded, and I got back to work. The Grill is a good place to be if you need to unwind. There's music, people to talk to, food, and a pretty nice pool table.

I had just finished tying my shoelaces when someone called my name. Looking around, I tried to find where the person was but didn't see anything, so I turned around, headed for the back.

"Over here." I turned in the direction of the voice and saw Jeremy. I knew the voice sounded familiar. As I walked over, I noticed there was a girl I had never seen before standing beside him. She had wavy brown hair that went past her shoulders, but the thing that stood out to me was the necklace she was wearing.

"Y/N, this is Anna," he said, gesturing to her. "Anna, this is Y/N, my best friend."

I tilted my head at him, a smirk crossing my face, "I thought I was your only friend, and besides, who said we were friends?"

He turned to Anna, shaking his head, "Do you see what I have to deal with every day?" "Oh, come on now, Jer. You know you love me."

"Yeah, yeah." I noticed Anna watching us with an indifferent look on her face. I couldn't tell if it was annoyance or just disinterest in our antics, so I turned my attention to her.

"Are you new in town? I haven't seen you around." The look went I away, so I figured I only imagined it. _Well, it wouldn't be the first time._

"Yeah, my mom and I just moved here. Our family has lived here before, so it's not much of a change," Anna said, nodding. "What about you? Have you always lived here?"

"Yep, lived here all my life," I nodded over to Jeremy, "and this doofus has been annoyingly stuck to my side ever since."

When she looked over at Jeremy, I had to stop myself from laughing. She had that look on her face. You know, the look when someone is so obviously crushing on someone else. Yeah, that look.

I guess I can't judge. I'm the girl who has feelings for her best friend, who, by the way, only sees her as a friend.

_ Internalized misogyny, folks. Get your tickets now! Okay... I'll stop now. _

I was about to say something when someone called my name. Turning around, I saw Breanna, the girl from yesterday, waving me over. I excused myself and made my way to her.

I noticed Jeremy left, so I walked over to Anna, "Did he leave?"

Anna nodded, pursing her lips together, "Yeah, he did." She looked like she wanted to say something.

"What do you want to know?"

She balked at me, trying to ask what I meant before I raised an eyebrow, making her stop. She sighed, "Okay. Do you think Jeremey thinks I'm annoying?"

_Oh. I see._

My face must have expressed my thoughts because she shook her, "It's not like that. Well, it sort of is, but I think I might be too pushy."

"Well, I can't exactly say, but if you are acting pushy, maybe dial back a little." She nodded at my words before her eyes flicked down to my hand, "What's that?"

I looked down and saw what she was staring at - my birthmark. I rubbed my hand, "Uh- it's nothing, really. Just a birthmark."

Anna squinted her eyes as if she was trying to see past my facade. There was nothing wrong with her noticing my birthmark, but I don't make a habit of telling random people the true meaning of them.

"Okay then," she said, slightly unconvinced. I'm not sure why. It's not like I sound suspicious or anything. "Well, I have to go."

I nodded and waved at her before she turned to leave. I waited until she had walked out the door to let out a sigh of relief. I swear, there's always something new in this town every day.

Once my shift was over, I logged my time before heading out front. I swung my leg over my bike, ready to kick up the kickstand when my phone started buzzing in my pocket.

I sighed, pulling it out and answering the call, "Hello?"

 _"Hey, Y/N. It's Caroline."_ Oh. Not weird at all.

"Hey, did you need something?" I settled down on the bike as I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder.

 _"You're coming to the dance, right?"_ That's today? I thought it was next week.

"Oh, um, I forgot it was today, but I wasn't really planning on it."

 _"I could really use your help, though,"_ Caroline said, and I could practically hear her pout through the phone.

I sighed, rubbing the side of my face, "I'm sure there's someone else who can help you. I wasn't planning on going, and I don't even have anything to wear."

_"It's 1950s themed. I'm sure you have something around your house to wear. All I need you to do is help watch over and take some photos for the yearbook."_

I opened my mouth to stop her, but she interrupted me, _"And before you say no, Jeremy's going to be there. On punch duty, of all things. I'm sure you wouldn't want to leave him all alone, right?"_

I have to give it to her, she's good. Not like I would ever admit it.

Heaving out a sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose, "If I agree-" _"Thank you so much, Y/N. I owe you big time. Don't forget to dress up! Bye!"_

Before I could get another word out, she hung up the phone. I held back the groan I so desperately wanted to release.

_Welp, looks I have to get ready to boogie-woogie._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed this chapter, more to come! bye, my loves,  
> diamond xx

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you think. constructive criticism is always welcome here! :)


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